Accidentally in Love
by Missus T
Summary: A personal ad for a fake fiancée leads to something they never expected. Two lonely souls discover that faking it might be the best thing that ever happened to them. ExB AH
1. A Little Help from My Friends

**Accidentally in Love  
>Ch 1:<strong> A Little Help From My Friends

This was originally posted with the title **From Sea to Shining Sea** and was my entry in the **Twilight of Craigslist One-Shot Contest (Part II).** I followed the July 4th Party Weekend prompt by **ShinyVolvoLurver** - which you should read cuz it's freakin' hysterical.**  
><strong>

I didn't win anything, but the prompt was fun and I like how this o/s kicks off a fun story. I'm going to continue this, just not sure how soon I'll begin posting. I'd like to get it written pretty far a head before I do.  
>So have patience with me, I'm working on it.<p>

Thanks to **Seastarr08** and **SydneyGen** for taking time to beta this for me. You girls are too good to me.

Thanks for reading! Enjoy.

Warning/Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. ****You all know this.**

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

The apartment door flew open and my roommate slid in like my own personal Kramer from a Seinfeld re-run.

"Isabella! You're not going to believe this!"

"What's up, Ang?" I laughed at her dramatic entrance, there was no telling what she could have to say.

Angela Webber and I had been friends since kindergarten, but there were times she was a total spaz. But she was my spaz and the best friend and roommate I could have asked for.

"Look at this! It's perfect. Absolutely perfect—like it was written for you." She shoved her iPhone in front of my face, shaking it at me so I couldn't read it if I tried.

"Take a deep breath and calm down. What are you talking about?"

She flopped onto the couch next to me and took a deep breath. "Dude. This ad on Craigslist. It's you. This guy is looking for you."

Oh. My. God. I couldn't believe she'd gotten so desperate in her search to find me a boyfriend. "You were searching the personal ads for me?"

"No, I was reading them for me!" She cracked up laughing. "Anyway, there weren't any guys that I wanted to email, but this dude," she shook her phone at me again, "this dude has you written all over him."

I groaned. "Ang, thanks, but no thanks. I can meet people on my own. I'm not ready for blind dating off the internet."

"Bells, this guy doesn't want a girlfriend, he wants a fiancée. For a weekend. In the Hamptons. All because he lied to his rich parents while he was away at medical school out west and told them he got engaged - to a shy brunette who doesn't drink too much and doesn't mind kids."

"I'm not that shy," I said, getting defensive.

"That's what you took from that?"

"Whatever, Ang." I shook my head and went into the kitchen for a bottle of water. "Why would I want to be someone's fiancée just for the weekend? That's just weird."

"Um...Because you've always wanted to see the East Coast, you're single and you have nothing better to do?"

She was right. I had always wanted to go there. I'd seen the West Coast and the Pacific Ocean but never the Atlantic. I just wanted to dip a toe in it. To say I'd been on both coasts, traveled from sea to shining sea.

"I'll get to the East Coast someday." It came out more wistful than confident and Angela smelled blood in the water.

"Yeah, but if you do this a rich med student will pay for your trip and give you five grand."

"He could be psycho. I just got rid of a crazy boyfriend, I don't need another."

She gave me an annoyed look. "Okay, I hate to break it to you, Bells, but it's been over a year since you and Paul broke up. Also, you'll be there with his entire family, there's bound to be at least one sane person there who can protect you."

"You know how ridiculous this is, right? And that my dad would kill me for even thinking about this?"

"You're thinking about it?" Her eyes lit up with excitement and she started to bounce on the couch.

"Not really." I shrugged, then reached forward and stole her phone so I could read the ad myself.

"You could meet him. Here in Seattle. Let's email him! Oh my God, this is cool!"

The next thing I knew she was opening my laptop and creating a new Craigslist account. After much arguing and two glasses of wine each, we sent futurehusband a message.

__-x-o-x-__

**From: IdealFakeFianc**é**e **

**To: FutureHusband **

**Re: Fake fiancée needed for weekend in the Hamptons. Cash reward. (Seattle)**

_Dear FutureHusband:_

_Wow, it feels totally weird to call you that. LOL_

_I'm responding to your ad because I think we may be able to help each other out. I've always wanted to see the East Coast and the Atlantic, but I haven't made it past the Mississippi River in my travels._

_I have to admit that your requirements seem very specific, but I think I meet most, if not all, of them. I'm a brunette, a non-drug user, and casual drinker. I'm a teacher, so I have the summer off and would be available to travel with you. My father is a cop, so I can relate to your brother on the force. I'm not sure how I feel about your sister dressing me up like a Barbie, but I'm pretty low maintenance so fashion advice is always welcome. My roommate says that I'm shy (I would disagree and say that I'm just contemplative) and that I am a strong eight in the looks department (she says I have to explain that I'm petite and short or she'd score me higher. I have no idea what that means, I'd be a ten if I was taller and fatter? I don't know)._

_Now that I'm completely embarrassed, I'd like to propose—if you're interested in allowing me to act as your fake fiancée—that we meet for coffee or a glass of wine to see if it could work out._

_Looking forward to hearing from you._

_IdealFakeFiancée_

__-x-o-x-__

Much to Angela's dismay, I turned off my laptop as soon as we sent the message. I knew myself too well, and I'd continue to hit refresh all evening if I didn't.

We made dinner together and sat down to eat while we watched Jeopardy. It was early June and we had two weeks left of school. It was only my third year out of college teaching and while I loved what I did, I couldn't wait for summer vacation. I taught middle school math and there was only so much puberty a person could take. Angela had gotten roped into teaching summer school, so she only had a few days off before it started, but I would be off work for two months. She was jealous of my time off, but as low man on the totem pole I'd gotten screwed into working summer school the year before, so I didn't feel bad for her.

We cleaned up the dishes and were choosing a movie to watch when my phone vibrated. I checked the screen and then looked at Angela in confusion.

"You set up that Craigslist account to alert my phone? When did you do that?"

She laughed and waggled her eyebrows. "I'm pretty sneaky. Now open it up. What does he have to say?"

Biting my lower lip, I opened the message and read it to myself before showing her.

__-x-o-x-__

**From: FutureHusband **

**To: IdealFakeFiancée **

**Re: Coffee or wine?**

_Dear IdealFakeFiancée:_

_You're right, that is strange to type. LOL_

_Thanks for responding to my ad. I don't mean to be a smart ass, but you sound a little too good to be true. You wouldn't believe the other responses I've received. I'm going to remain hopeful that you could be just who I am looking for and if this works out, I can help you achieve your goal of seeing the East Coast. Though having seen both, I truly prefer the West Coast._

_I think meeting in person is a great idea. My schedule at the hospital is pretty hectic, but I think we can make it work. By the way, I'm totally jealous that you'll have the summer off._

_Could we meet Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Heads or Tails on Aurora for a drink? Message me back and let me know if this works, if not we'll come up with something else. Also, if you don't mind, please include your phone number so I can text you if there's an emergency at the hospital and I have to cancel (this is, I'm sorry to say, entirely possible)._

_FutureHusband_

_A.K.A. Edward_

__-x-o-x-__

I smiled a little as I read the message. He was honest and kind of funny. He seemed sweet. I liked that he wanted to make plans somewhere public. I sighed and looked up at Angela. Her eyes were wide and I could tell she was dying to know what he said.

"Well?" She motioned with her hand. "Spill!"

I read the email to her and I knew I was blushing a vibrant shade of red by the time I was done.

"Oh—My—God. You've got to go. I'll totally come, too. I'll get Jess and we'll sit somewhere else, but we'll be there to make sure you're okay. This is really cool, Bells. It's like...this doesn't happen. How often does this happen?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know. How many ads are there on Craigslist?"

"Shut up!" she laughed. "Not the same and you know it. I can't wait. Okay. Okay. We have two days to figure out what you're going to wear."

She jumped up and made her way towards my bedroom, calling over her shoulder. "You need to look cute but not slutty, which is easy, because you never look slutty, but you don't always look cute either..."

Ignoring her, I thought about the name Edward and smiled. It was a good solid name. Kind of old fashioned. I liked that he hadn't signed his message with Ed or Eddie. I was going to go for drinks with Edward, the rich med student. And talk about pretending to be his fiancée—holy shit. What the hell was wrong with me? I must be insane.

"Are you coming?" Angela stood in the hallway beckoning me towards her. "I'm going to grab a couple things from my room, but get in here!"

An hour, and a bottle of wine later, we decided on my black shorts and Angela's white tank top with a draped scoop neck. It was a little dressier than what I would normally wear, and certainly dressier than what I would wear to what you would consider a sports bar. Ang had talked me out of wearing any of my Mariners gear pretty early on. I was, she reminded me, interviewing to be someone's fiancée.

The next two days were nerve wracking. I didn't know when it happened, but at some point I had gotten really invested in Edward's proposition. I worried that he wouldn't like me. That he'd think I wasn't cute enough or smart enough to meet his family. Somewhere between laughing about the prospect of seeing the East Coast and setting our date to meet in person, I'd decided that I wanted to really do this. I wanted to be his fake fiancée.

Wednesday night I rode with Angela and Jess over to the bar, then waited in the car while they got a table. I didn't want it to look like we'd arrived together. After a minute or two, I took a deep breath and went inside. I stood in front of the hostess for a second scanning the faces in the bar, though I had no idea who I was looking for. There were a fair amount of customers, but it was early for a Friday so it wasn't too crowded.

"I'm meeting someone," I told the girl nervously. "I'm a little early; so he's probably not here."

"Well, I haven't seated any single guys waiting for anyone. If you tell me his name I'll send him over."

I told her and followed her to a booth towards the back of the room. Luckily, it was within eyesight but not hearing range of Angela and Jess. I wanted to be safe, but I didn't need them listening to my every word.

Edward and I had exchanged names and phone numbers in case he needed to cancel or let me know he was going to be late, but I didn't know anything more about him. I was starting to sweat and was beginning to regret the tank top because there wasn't much fabric to soak up my perspiration. I felt like a mess.

A waitress brought over menus and instead of waiting, instead of ordering a nice glass of white wine like I'd suggested in my message, I ordered a beer - a large one. I was nervous. I needed something to do with my hands. I wasn't a usually wine girl, unless I was with Ang. I had no idea why I'd suggested that. I didn't want to start things off on a lie—wait—that's what this whole thing was, an elaborate lie. Shit. My beer couldn't come fast enough.

As the waitress returned and slid my drink in front of me, I watched a tall bronze haired man come into the bar by himself. He spoke to the hostess but I couldn't see his face. Physically he looked good. His polo shirt clung to his muscular frame and his jeans sat low on a thin waist. He wore a pair of dark shoes. I couldn't tell what style they were except that they were not tennis shoes. Major points for that.

He looked up as the hostess pointed to me and our eyes met. I felt the heat of my blush start to creep up my neck as he grinned and walked over to the table.

"Isabella?" His voice was smooth and calming.

"Bella." I smiled.

Why the hell did this guy need to post a personal ad for a fake fiancée? I had a sinking feeling that there was something I was missing. It was my turn to think someone was too good to be true. Maybe he was a serial killer. Fuck my life.

My phone vibrated on the table and I glanced down to see a text from Ang.

**Holy fucksticks! He's hot.**

I blushed again, quickly fumbling to clear the screen and drop my phone in my purse.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just my roommate checking on me."

"Do you need to text her back?"

"Oh. Um. I guess. Yeah. Excuse me."

I grabbed my phone again and typed a quick message.

**Yes, but y single? Serial killer? FML**

Her response came quickly.

**I'll b watching u. Well, him. U're safe. luv u. HE'S HOT**

I laughed a little and put the phone away. "Sorry about that."

"Nothing to be sorry about. I'm glad to see you're safety conscious." He paused, looking embarrassed. "Thank you for meeting me. I'm not really sure how to do this. I've never interviewed someone for a girlfriend-"

"Fiancée," I interrupted, teasing.

"Right, fiancée. Do you have any questions for me?"

I licked my lips, hesitating for a second, then gave in to my curiosity. "I'm sorry, I have to ask. Why do you need a fake fiancée? I mean, you're good looking. You're a med student so you're obviously smart..."

He smiled at me and ordered a beer from the waitress that appeared next to our table.

"Another?" he asked me, nodding to my mug.

"I'm good, thanks."

"Just a beer then. Maybe appetizers later?" His eyes were on me and I shrugged.

The waitress walked away, though her eyes stayed on Edward for so long that she almost ran into a server carrying a tray of food. I rolled my eyes and Edward laughed. I wasn't sure if he was laughing at me or her, but he didn't give me time to wonder.

"I'm single because I'm a med student. Well, that and I'm picky." He laughed at himself and I felt myself start to relax again. He seemed to truly be the honest, funny guy from the ad and his email.

"I haven't had time to date, not really since high school. I at least made an effort the first two years of undergrad, but after that it wasn't worth it. I'm too busy to make anyone a good boyfriend." He shrugged. "That really about sums it up. No time to meet someone let alone date them."

"And you're picky," I added, laughing.

"Yeah." We looked at each other for a second and the silence was unbelievably comfortable.

"What about you, why are you single? You're smart and good looking, too."

"Oh! Um...my last relationship didn't end well. Is it okay to say that? Anyway, I just haven't felt ready to put myself out there again."

He nodded, smiling sadly across the table at me as he put his chin in his hand. "I'm sorry you were hurt. What do you mean when you say that it didn't end well?"

The waitress sat Edward's beer in front of him, and he gave her a quick glance saying a quiet 'thank you', before turning his focus back on me. It took her a few seconds to realize he wasn't going to give her any more attention. I waited until she walked away before I spoke again.

"Well...he cheated on me and then got kind of crazy, saying it was a mistake and that he really loved me and he was sorry. I didn't want to hear it. He cheated on me for months. His dick didn't just fall into her on accident over and over!" I threw my hand over my mouth.

Edward laughed out loud. It was deep and rich, and if I hadn't been so embarrassed it would have made me laugh along with him.

"Shit, sorry. Touchy subject." I shrugged, trying to play it off.

"I guess so." The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. "So he got crazy?"

"Yeah, he was kind of a stalker for a while, begging my forgiveness then acting like we were back together when he saw my friends. Eventually he got the message and found someone new to fixate on. I felt bad for her, but he hasn't bothered me in six months."

I couldn't really see Edward's eyes as he sipped his drink and I didn't know what he was thinking. I tried to joke because that's what I did when I was uncomfortable. "That was probably an over-share, yeah? I think I'm totally botching this interview."

"No, you're doing fine." He reached across the table and took my hand in his.

My breath caught at seeing our hands together. His hands were beautiful, long and lean. They covered mine entirely. I felt an odd feeling of strength in our connection. Not like he could over power me, but that he could protect me. He would protect me. When I looked up his eyes were locked on our hands as well.

I took a deep breath. He seemed interested. He said I was good looking and that I wasn't screwing it up. I could do this.

"Edward, is there anything you want to know about me?"

"Right, yes." He nodded, moving his hands away to take a sip of his beer. As if he needed to prepare to ask me something difficult, he took another drink before setting the mug down. Then he surprised me, meeting my eyes again with a grin. "Tell me everything."

So I did. Well, as much as I could in three hours before we both began to yawn. We'd both worked full days before we met and I had to get up early to work in the morning. He paid our bill, pushing my cash back towards me when I tried to pay for my beers and part of our nachos, and we stood to say goodnight. I'd been sitting down when he came to the booth so I hadn't realized just how much taller than me he was until that moment.

He smiled down at me. "I had a good time. I'm glad we decided to do this."

"Are we?" I asked, surprised. "Are we doing this?"

He hadn't really confirmed that I'd gotten the job as his fake fiancée. I figured he'd want to meet me again or take some time to think about it.

His face fell for a second and then he chuckled. "I meant this, tonight, but to be honest, I think we are. What do you think?"

"I think we should do this again."

He cocked his head. "You're not sure if you want to come to New York?"

"What? No!" I grabbed his arm, panicking that he might leave. "I'd love to go, be your fiancée, whatever. If you want me to. I meant this, we should meet again before we go. We should be more comfortable with each other if we want people to believe us."

"Oh! Yeah," he laughed. "We should definitely do this again."

Ang and Jess stood and got ready to leave. Ang winked at me as they walked by and I ducked my head.

Edward burst out laughing. "Did that girl just wink at you?"

I felt my face heat up in embarrassment. "Um. Yeah." I bit my lip then fessed up. "That was my roommate and one of our friends. I rode here with them; they just hung out to make sure I was safe. I have a feeling I'm going to get a lot of crap for being here so long. I'll have to get them some coffee and doughnuts in the morning," I rambled.

He shook his head, laughing again. "You surprise me, Bella."

"That's a good thing?" I raised my brows, unsure of what he thought.

"Yeah, it's a good thing. You want to meet up again next week?"

"Do you work this weekend? Let's meet Sunday. I just have exams next week so my lesson plans are pretty easy."

He nodded and took a step back to stand beside me. His hand found my lower back as he led me out of the bar. I was pretty focused on the feel of him touching me, but I swore I could see some eyes following him as we walked. Once we got outside I made my way towards Angela's Toyota and he stayed at my side.

"This is me. Well, us," I laughed as Jess waved, then turned to face Ang in the driver's seat.

"Bella, tonight has been better than I could have hoped for. I'm looking forward to Sunday and even more so to traveling out east with you."

"We're really going to do this?" I asked again.

"We don't have to decide right now, but yeah, I think we should do this. Why not? I'd like to get to know you." He tucked some hair behind my ear and my heart fluttered. "Do you want to be my fake fiancée?"

I grinned. "I'd love to, Edward. I think I'd like to get to know you, too."

He leaned forward and kissed my cheek, his eyes finding mine as he stepped back. We smiled at each other and I stayed as still as I could. I was afraid if I moved the moment would be gone.

He took another step back and I noticed him just barely shake his head. He began to walk away but after a few steps he turned around towards me, calling out, "Goodnight, future wife. See you Sunday."

I was struck by his words. Future wife meant something totally different than fake fiancée.

The scariest part about it though...was that I wasn't afraid at all.

**-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_**

**A/N: **

Thanks so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed the start of something new. I'm hoping that now that I've posted this I'll get my butt back in gear and actually write and not just scratch out ideas for this.


	2. Coffee, Tea or Me?

**Accidentally in Love  
><strong>**Ch 2:** **Coffee, Tea or Me?  
><strong>**Warning/Disclaimer:**I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N:** Hello! So glad you enjoyed the little o/s that grew into this story. If you clicked over from my tease on The Fictionators, thanks for giving this fic a chance! I'm pretty excited to see that some of you found me there.

My betarific support team for this project are **SydneyGen, E_Hunter **and **Seastarr08**. You should go read all of their stuff. For real.

Thanks for being patient and waiting for me to get written ahead before I updated. Things are still a little crazy on my end, but I decided that I needed the motivation of posting to keep me on track...My plan is to update every other week so I can alternate with my Twilight Twenty-Five piece (more at the bottom on that).

Anyway, here we go. :)

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**EPOV**

I climbed into my car and let out a long breath. Jesus. I'd called her my future wife. Talk about a Freudian slip of epic proportions. She had to think I was a psycho. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to look at the bigger picture, the whole night, and not just my fuck up before they drove away.

Meeting Isabella—Bella—had gone better than expected. Her response to my ad on Craigslist had been cute and straightforward, but it seemed a little too good to be true. I'd told her just that in my response, but I'd still been intrigued enough to meet her in person.

I wasn't sure what I'd been expecting when I walked into Heads or Tails, but it certainly wasn't the gorgeous woman who had been waiting for me. I briefly wondered why she was single, but decided I was desperate enough to risk a weekend with whatever crazy she could dish out.

Bella continued to surprise me as the night wore on. She didn't seem crazy at all. She was smart, attractive, funny and caring. It upset me to hear about the way her ex had treated her. I'd been cheated on in the past and knew how much it sucked. That was something I would never do to a woman.

I laughed a little to myself when I remembered her comment, _"__His dick didn't just fall into her on accident over and over!" _The look on her face after she realized what she'd said had been priceless. She looked horrified, afraid she'd said too much, when all I could think was that Emmett would love her. It was exactly the kind of thing my brother would say.

My cell phone rang, pausing the music and flashing the incoming number on the radio dial. I recognized my best friend Garrett's number and accepted the call, saying hello twice the way I always had to when I used the damn Bluetooth system.

"Hey man, what's the word?"

"Bird is the word, G." I don't know how I managed to say it with a straight face. The joke from _Family Guy_ never got old no matter how many times Garrett walked into it.

"Shut up. You're a dick. How'd things go with your fake wife?"

"Fiancée." I grinned, remembering the way Bella had corrected me earlier and my own slip with the word wife.

"Oh, sorry, fiancée," he teased, stretching the word so it sounded more like Beyoncé.

"It was...way better than I expected."

"Really?" he laughed. "Shit. I was expecting you to say she was a hag and she'd lied through her teeth. So she's not some gold digging whore trying to get a free vacation so she can slip you a date rape drug to get knocked up and steal all your money?"

"Why am I friends with you?" I backed my car out of the parking spot and continued talking to my obnoxious best friend as I drove home.

"Because we're both assholes."

"Speak for yourself," I laughed. "Anyway, Bella was great. We're going to meet again to get to know each other a little more."

"Whoa. You're serious."

"Yeah. I mean, who'd have thought? I figured you were nuts when you told me to put an ad on Craigslist."

"Well, I was kind of drunk," Garrett admitted with a laugh.

"Yeah, but when we sobered up it was still a decent idea, better than not trying anything. And I think it really worked. I think she's going to do it."

"What do you mean you think she's going to do it? You want her to?"

"I think so, yeah." I was a little surprised at how much I really did want Bella to meet my family. I sighed, unable to really explain to him what it was about the woman I'd met. "You'll have to meet her, G. I think—I think we're a believable couple."

"Holy shit. You like her."

"No, I don't even know her, yet." I did like her. There was no denying it. "Shit."

"You fuckin' like your fake fiancée. Classic." Garrett laughed and I could imagine the shit eating grin on his face. "When are you seeing her again?"

I pulled into a parking spot outside my condo and ran a hand through my hair. "We're meeting Sunday afternoon for coffee."

"Ooh! I don't work Sunday. I might have to stop by the coffee shop."

"I'm not telling you where we're meeting. And what, my brother isn't here so you have to come approve of my girl?"

"Something like that. Also, you just called her your girl without even thinking about it. You're just giving me more ammunition." Before I could try to deny what I'd done there was a garbled noise in the background and Garrett groaned. "Ah, shit. Gotta run, man. A couple of trauma's heading in. I'm gonna head down to the ER to see if I can get a little bloody."

"Later," I laughed as he disconnected without saying goodbye, off to squeeze his way into a trauma room.

I was busy with work for the next few days, barely having time to think about my upcoming coffee date with Bella. I'd avoided talking to my family, though my sister Alice had left increasingly demanding messages on my voice mail.

"E_dward, you need to call mom. You can't just tell her you're engaged and bringing someone home without telling her anything more. Shit. You can't expect us not to have questions._"

"_It's me again. Now Mom is freaking out that you never asked for Grammy's ring. Did you give her a different ring? She—her—we need to know her name, Edward. This is ridiculous_."

"_Emmett wants to know if you want to go to Riley's party while you're here...and if Ry knows that you're engaged. Just...call one of us_."

"_Alright, Mom is threatening to fly to Seattle. She was kind of drunk when she said it, but I wouldn't put it past her. We just need the basics. Where did you meet her? How long have you been dating? What's her name? I'm sure we'll love her as much as you do, but you can't just not tell us anything else." She paused, then gasped loudly into the phone. "She didn't break it off, did she? Fuck, Edward. Please don't tell me you neglected her the way you do your family. We-_"

The machine cut off her last, most desperate rant. I knew I'd need to call her back soon, but I really wanted to talk with Bella one more time before I started making more shit up.

Thankfully, I was already on my way to meet Bella so we could work out a plan when I listened to the message. I was fully prepared to move ahead with a fake engagement to Bella. In fact, I was rather looking forward to it. I wasn't sure what that said about me, but the more I thought about a long weekend with Bella on my arm pretending to be in love with me...Yeah. I couldn't wait.

I was ten minutes early when I made his way into the coffee shop. I was hoping to be there for a while talking and I wanted to find a comfortable spot. As I looked around the room I saw Bella making her way to a seating area in the corner with a leather couch and side chair. She was early, too. It made my heart jump a little, thinking she was as excited as I was about meeting again.

I called her name and she waved as I made his way across the room. Her blush was adorable. Without even thinking about it, I leaned in and kissed her cheek.

She giggled and quietly said hello.

It was hard to pull my eyes away from her smiling face, but I forced myself to take in her entire appearance and tried not to look like a total perv. She wore what looked like a man's dress shirt over leggings and it made me wonder what she'd look like in nothing but one of my shirts.

I should have been embarrassed when I reined in my libido and brought my eyes back to her face, but I broke out in a smile instead—she was totally staring at my chest. I mentally patted myself on the back for wearing a comfortable t-shirt that stretched across my frame. I worked out a couple times a week, mostly to blow off steam, but the ladies seemed to appreciate the results as well. I certainly liked Bella's reaction.

"So," I cleared my throat. "Coffee? What can I get you?"

"Oh! No, you don't have to buy my coffee."

"I want to. What do you drink?"

"Um. A skinny mocha. Large. With a shot of caramel."

"Got it." Standing in line gave me a minute to calm down. I didn't know what the hell it was about her, but Bella Swan seemed to put me off balance.

I returned to find her curled up on the corner of the couch and gave an internal fist pump that she hadn't chosen the side chair. I handed her a mug of fancy coffee and made myself comfortable on the other end of the couch.

A small sigh slipped out of her mouth as she enjoyed her first sip. "Sorry," she laughed. "Did I forget to mention that I have a caffeine addiction?"

"You may have." I laughed and took drink of my own coffee. "But it's something we have in common."

"What are you drinking? I should know that."

"Dark roast. I'll occasionally get a peppermint mocha, but usually I just go for straight coffee, two creams."

"Traditionalist." She held her mug in both hands, blowing gently across the surface of the hot liquid before bringing it back to her lips.

We talked quietly for a while, continuing to get to know each other, and it was amazingly comfortable. Easy. I couldn't remember ever feeling as comfortable with a woman on what could be considered our second date.

After avoiding it for as long as I could, I gave her an overview of my immediate family, hoping she wouldn't be too overwhelmed.

"My dad is a cardiologist in Manhattan. He's a great guy. He'd do anything to help a friend—give them the shirt off his back, the whole nine yards. My mom's an interior designer with a soft spot for her grandkids and an affinity for expensive vodka."

Bella laughed at my description, but she'd find out soon enough how true it was.

"My brother Emmett is a cop and his wife Rose stays home with their three kids—Bree, Kate and Peter. Rose was a dental hygienist when Em met her; she says she might go back to it when the kids get older. My sister Alice is my mom's assistant, even though she'd rather work in fashion, and her husband Jasper is in real estate."

"Wow. Okay." She chuckled. "You might want to take notes to remember everything about my family. Ready?"

I laughed and nodded, confident that I could keep everything straight. I hadn't made it through med school without having a good memory.

"My dad is the Chief of police in Forks."

I waited for her to say more, but that was it.

"What?" I started laughing. "What about the rest of your family?"

She shrugged. "That's it."

"Your mother?"

"She's in Florida—I think. We mostly talk by e-mail. She hasn't had a job in years."

I must have looked as confused as I felt because she took pity on me and explained a little more.

"My mom left my dad when I was little. I was 'too much' for her. She married a minor league baseball player and spends her time following him around. That's all I know." She looked sad, but resigned.

I felt myself inching closer, wanting to touch her in some way. "When was the last time you saw her?"

I couldn't imagine not talking to my mother. I didn't always enjoy what she had to say to me—thus the need for a fake fiancée to get her off my back—but even though we lived on opposite coasts I saw her a couple of times a year and spoke to her several times a month, at least.

It took her a second to think about it. "Christmas my senior year." Three years. That was so bad...but she wasn't finished. "Of high school."

"Are you shitting me? You haven't seen her in seven years? Wait, sorry. That didn't come out right."

She blushed and tried to smile. "It's okay, but that's why I didn't mention her. It's just been me and Charlie, my dad, for most of my life."

"I can't get my head around that. In some ways that's really cool," I said, trying to somehow make up for my earlier outburst.

"In some ways it's not," she murmured, "but it's all I've known, so..." She shrugged.

In the course of conversation, we had unconsciously turned towards each other and moved together on the small couch, our knees brushing. I didn't hesitate as I reached over and took her hand in mine.

"We can share my family. They're nosy enough that they'll love having someone else to fawn over."

"Thank you." She was still quiet and I caught her smiling at our joined hands.

"Hey," I squeezed her fingers getting her attention again, "how long have you known Angela?"

"Forever!" She laughed and our conversation returned to lighter topics. Before I knew it, the afternoon was slipping away.

I didn't want to ruin the perfect moment that we seemed to be having, but I needed know how serious she was.

"So..."

The single word caught her attention, and she raised an eyebrow waiting for me to continue.

"My family has been asking questions. I just want to be sure you're okay if I tell them about you. And us."

She bit her lip and looked up at me through her lashes. I had no idea what she was thinking and it made me nervous. I wiped my palms on my jeans as I waited for her to say something. Anything.

Her mouth shifted into a small smile and I relaxed, slightly.

"I think so?" It was more of a question than a certainty. She shook her head and moved even closer. "I just... I think we need... Please don't think this is too forward."

Then her hands were on my shoulders and she kissed me. I forgot where we were. I even forgot to breathe. All I could think about was the feel of her soft lips on mine and the warmth of her mouth as I kissed her back without question.

After a few seconds Bella slowly pulled back. It was much too soon if you asked me. I grinned, taking in her flushed cheeks and parted lips. She opened her eyes slowly and returned my smile.

"Sorry," she laughed. "I had to be sure."

"Of what?"

"That we had some chemistry."

"And?"

Blush crept up her neck and her nose wrinkled as she giggled. "I think we should do it again."

I wasn't sure if she was joking, repeating what she'd said about meeting again to get to know each other, but I didn't really care. I felt like I could kiss her a thousand times and it wouldn't be enough. Sliding a hand up to her cheek, I nodded as I leaned forward for another kiss.

Somehow I managed to keep my head and remember that we were sitting in a coffee shop. It was mostly PG as one of my hands slipped into her hair while the other rested on her thigh. Her hands made their way to my shoulders, and she sighed as I ended the kiss.

"Tell your family whatever you want," she whispered before clearing her throat and opening her eyes. She moved back so we were still sitting close together but not intimately entwined anymore. "I mean, you can tell them about me. About us."

I wanted her to mean it. I felt a little twist in my gut at her use of the word 'us' and I wondered if I wanted it a little too much. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I have to tell them how we got engaged." I was thinking out loud more than anything, wondering how I would propose to Bella if I was truly going to do it.

"Tell them about today. That we were at our favorite coffee place and you couldn't stop yourself."

"What? No, that's not-"

"It's perfect, Edward. Too many lies are going to trip us up."

I nodded; she had a point. A sudden proposal in the moment would also solve the problem of not asking my mother for Grammy Platt's engagement ring. Emmett had given Rose Grandma Cullen's ring and Grammy's had been in a safe deposit box for years waiting for me to meet the right girl.

"How long did we date before we got engaged? What did you tell them at Christmas?"

Bella was smart, and somehow she was more aware of the details my family would want than I was. I tried to remember how I'd gotten my mother off my back as she fed me heavily spiked eggnog and told me how Alice and Jasper were taking a trip to the Bahamas in hopes of getting pregnant. She called it a babymoon and I almost spit out my drink.

"I told her that I'd met someone and I was taking her out when I got back to Seattle."

"Perfect. So, six months?"

"Yeah," I said feeling a little overwhelmed.

"And whose house are we staying at?"

"My grandparents'. Well, my parents' now. It was my grandparents' when I was growing up but my mom inherited it a few years ago. We usually just refer to it as the beach house."

"Okay. What kinds of things will we be doing while we're there?"

"Beach parties, fireworks, hanging out with my family. Nothing outrageous."

She rolled her eyes. "That's nice, but what am I supposed to wear?"

"Oh!" I laughed at myself, I hadn't realized that's what she was getting at. I thought for a second about how to answer her, but I honestly had no idea. I did, however, know exactly who would. I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone. "Let's find out."

Alice answered on the first ring.

"Hey, Bella wants to know what she needs to pack?"

Silence.

"Alice?"

"Edward?"

"Yes, and I asked you a question."

"Bella?"

"Why are you only speaking one word at a time? Yes, Bella. She isn't sure what kind of outfits to bring and I thought you could help."

"I'm sorry, Edward," Alice laughed. "You weren't calling me back. I'd convinced myself that she'd either broken up with you or you'd made her up entirely. Is she there with you?"

"She's right here, Al. Thanks for the faith in me. Who makes up a fake fiancée?" I looked over at Bella and rolled my eyes as she covered her mouth to hide her laughter.

"Whatever. Give Bella the phone."

I hesitated, it hadn't occurred to me that she'd want to talk to her. I knew Alice well enough to know she wouldn't give up and, honestly, I wasn't going to be able to tell Bella what she needed to bring. I wasn't entirely sure I wanted Bella talking to my sister yet, but I'd stumbled into it and there was no going back.

"Sorry," I mouthed as I held the phone towards Bella.

She looked terrified and I apologized again with my eyes. "Um, Alice wants to talk to you. Just about clothes." God, I hoped it was just about clothes.

Her eyes locked on mine and I felt like a complete asshole.

"Alice? Nice to meet you, this is Bella."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:** Who makes up a fake fiancée? Um. Edward. LOL

Thanks so much for reading. I'd love to hear what you think. I promise I didn't set out to end with that cliffy - it was just the perfect place to break the chapter.

Thanks again.

I'm also participating in this round of The Twilight Twenty-Five...I'll be putting up a twenty-five chapter fic between now and May 31, 2012 based on prompts from the challenge. Sign up for author alerts if you want to know when it updates. Visit www (dot) thetwilight25 (dot) com to check out the challenge (either 25 one-shots, 25 short 100 word drabbles or a 25 chapter fic in 3 months.)


	3. Nancy Drew is a Verb

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 3:** **Nancy Drew (verb)**

**Warning/Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! Excited to see more people clicking over from The Fictionators. Thanks for giving this fic a look. It was also nice to see some SVM names pop in reviews and alerts this week. You gals are the best!

My betarific support team for this project are **SydneyGen, E_Hunter **and **Seastarr08**. You should go read all of their stuff. For real.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**BPOV**

Edward mouthed an apology and held the phone out to me. I wanted to shake my head and tell him no, but I felt my trembling hand reach forward.

"Alice? Nice to meet you, this is Bella," I said as I gave Edward a look to let him know I wasn't happy.

"Oh my God!" The voice on the other end gasped. "Holy shit! I thought he was being a smart ass. You're really there?"

I started to laugh and realized just what a predicament he'd put himself in. "Yeah, I'm real. Like Edward said, who would make up a fiancée?"

I raised an eyebrow at Edward and his eyes were wide. He was absolutely terrified of what I was going to tell his sister, but he'd done this to himself. He could have sent her an e-mail or given her a call later, but he tried to be cool and made the call while I was sitting right there without a thought to how things could play out. It was such a guy thing to do. I could have told him that if Alice picked up she would ask to speak to me. What girl wouldn't?

"Oh, Bella, we're going to have a great time getting to know each other. I'm so glad that you're able to make it out for the Fourth. Do you know when you're getting in?"

"Um, I don't think Edward has booked our flights." He nodded at me and smiled. "He mentioned leaving Thursday morning and I'll be off work for the summer, I'm a teacher, so that works for me. I think he said we'll drive out to your grandparents' on Friday morning."

"You're a teacher? How fun! I want to hear all about it sometime. Thursday sounds good, too. Maybe I'll convince Jasper that we should come meet you and we could all go out!"

"I'll let you work that out with Edward. I don't know what his plans are."

Edward looked nervous again, and I decided I shouldn't look at him while I talked to her. I turned my head and sighed. We were doing this. I was on the phone with his sister and it was going to happen. And I was excited about it. Talking to Alice was so much better than I'd expected, aside from the part where she thought Edward had made me up.

"Alice, I need to know what kinds of things to pack. Is it a mostly casual weekend?" In my head I was wondering if casual meant the same thing to her and praying I didn't need to buy a lot of fancy clothes.

"Exactly. We'll spend most of our time with the family around the house and at the beach. My cousin Riley has a cook-out that we go to every year, but all of that is casual. The neighbors have a more dressy party, though. You'll want a cocktail dress for that and maybe just another summer dress in case we go to dinner."

"Okay. Sounds good." I was mentally going through my closet thinking about the black cocktail dress I'd bought when I graduated from college. I might need to head to the mall for a few tops, though.

"Listen, I don't mean to be forward..."

"But?"

"Yeah, but," Alice giggled, "why don't you give me your sizes and I'll bring some things you can borrow. I have a lot of connections in fashion. It would be no problem."

I chuckled. "Edward told me that you were interested in fashion and design. You can bring some things if you'd like. Just keep in mind that I'm pretty low maintenance, I don't need anything too crazy."

"Of course! Just get my number from Edward and text me with your sizes. Shoes, clothes... Oh, and your ring size—I have a good connection for some costume jewelry." Her obvious excitement made me grin. "We're going to have so much fun! I can't wait to tell my mother I've actually spoken to you!"

"And that I'm real?" I glanced at Edward and smiled.

"Well, that too."

Edward rolled his eyes and I found myself reaching over to pat his leg. "Alright, I had better go; your brother is stroking out because you might tell me some of his deep dark secrets."

"I'm sure he is! I can't wait to meet you."

"The feeling is mutual." And truly, it was.

I handed Edward back his phone and he looked at me expectantly. I let the silence draw out and he huffed in annoyance.

"Well, what did she say?"

"After I reassured her you hadn't made me up?"

Again with the eye roll, but we both laughed this time.

"She told me you like to sleep naked and that you secretly want to be Indiana Jones."

He started to blush. It was adorable.

"Shut up! She did not! I'm sure she assumed you already know I sleep nude. And the Indy bit? Well, she probably thinks you've already seen my whip, too."

Okay. My turn to blush. Then he winked. Fucker. That was adorable, too. I was in so much trouble.

"Okay! You're right! She just told me that she was going to call your mom and tell her we'd spoken and about what kind of clothes to pack. She mentioned something about a party at the neighbor's and a cookout at your cousin's."

"Right. You feel better about packing?"

"Yeah, I just have a couple of things I'd like to get to finish off my outfits and I'll be fine."

"Bella, you really shouldn't spend money to come on this trip."

I bit my lip, not wanting to say anything about the $5,000 his Craigslist ad had mentioned. I had to admit it would be nice to pay towards my student loan, but we hadn't really talked about the money. I mean, he'd reassured me the first night that he would pay me. I got the impression that he was certainly good for the cash, but we got along so well that the thought of him paying me was a little skeevy.

Angela told me to buck up and ask for half up front. I would need some of it if I wanted to go shopping, but I wasn't sure I could come right out and ask him. "_Hi, I'm a not a whore, but can you pay me?" _Nope. I couldn't do it.

Somehow he read my mind, and I didn't have to ask.

"We could go shopping together. I could pay. I mean, I could buy what you needed for the trip and then give you the rest of the money. You know. "

I kind of squinted at him, still not wanting to talk about it. "I guess that could work."

"What?" he laughed. "The look on your face is...I don't know what it is."

"Ugh. I don't know. I feel weird taking money from you."

He sighed. "Don't. If I wasn't such a dumbass I wouldn't be in this situation. I want you to get something more out of this than a trip to the Hamptons."

And that was just it. I had a weird feeling that I _was_ getting something else out of our trip. Whether I wanted to or not. I just wasn't sure if he wanted more.

"Look, if you want I can write the check directly to your credit card company or your student loan company or whatever. If you don't want the money to come directly to you I can understand that, but I believe in truth in advertising."

"I don't think that really applies-"

"Please, just let me take you shopping. We can argue about the rest later."

I sighed. "Fine, but next week is busy. You might have to help me grade some exams."

"What?"

"Just kidding."

"Smart ass." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'll book our tickets this week and take you to the mall, say, Thursday?"

"Yeah, that works. I'll have to clean out my classroom on Friday."

He checked his watch and sighed. Time had flown by and we'd been together for close to four hours. Stretching his legs, he ran his hands down his thighs. "I have to go into work. I'll text you later?"

"Sounds good. I had fun today, Edward."

"I did, too." He paused, glancing down sheepishly. "I'm sorry you had to talk to Alice."

"It was fine. I think we'll get along."

"I'm glad." He nodded in agreement, then raised his brows. "Are you ready?"

"Ready."

He took care of our dishes and we made our way out of the building. We said a quick goodbye on the street and agreed to text throughout the week to make plans for shopping. We were standing close together and I wasn't sure what I should do. Hug him? Kiss him? On the lips or the cheek?

"Stop biting your lip," he chuckled, before he leaned forward and hugged me while giving me a little kiss on the cheek.

He was grinning when he stepped away from me and I knew my face had to look the same. Except mine was probably bright red. He took a few backwards steps and waved, then turned and made his way down the street.

I watched him for a few seconds, touching my cheek like a fool, then he went around the corner and was gone. He was so much more than I'd imagined when Angela and I answered the ad. He really was everything I was looking for in a man, I just wondered how he felt about being found.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

My week was busy with work and grading tests in the evening. Edward and I texted a few times and it was sweet. I was enjoying getting to know him and was surprised at how much I was looking forward to spending time together. Not just that, shopping, traveling, the whole thing really. I'd only met one boyfriend's parents in my lifetime, and though the thought of meeting Edward's family was daunting, I was excited for it.

Edward picked me up at my apartment for our shopping trip and I got to officially introduce him to Angela. She took full responsibility for coercing me to respond to his ad and told him he owed her a date with one of his friends. He thanked her repeatedly and said he would set her up with his best friend, Garrett, who was the same person who convinced him to place the Craigslist ad in the first place.

I groaned as Angela started asking a million questions about his friend and pulled Edward out of the apartment before she could beg him to set up their date right then.

We each bought a few things at Macy's for the trip and found ourselves sitting in the cafe splitting one of their giant Rice Krispie treats.

"...but the worst family trip we took was to Paris when we were teenagers. It was my parents' twentieth anniversary, and they wanted to do something special. Alice wore a beret and became this uber-bitch who refused to speak English to any of us. Emmett didn't speak a word of French and spent the entire ten days being miserable. My parents wanted the three of us to do things together so they could have some romantic alone time in Paris, and I just wanted to be left alone. I could have spent the entire time we were there at Versailles or wandering the museums."

My chin rested in my hand as I listened to him reminisce. His family sounded like they were a trip, and much more normal than I expected. The Cullens apparently had a house in Aspen in addition to the their places in Connecticut and the Hamptons. Old, family money was just as foreign a concept to me as new family money, but the idea of having grown up taking trips to Europe and skiing in Aspen every Christmas made me think of those obnoxious people on the Real Housewives shows or The Hills.

He laughed, realizing he'd gotten a little carried away by his story. "What about you? Tell me why you want to see the East coast?"

"My dad," I said quietly. "When I was growing up he had a map in his office where we marked off all of the states we traveled to, but we never made it east of Memphis. We just sort of ran out of time."

"How many states did you make it to?"

I smiled. "Twenty-three."

"Almost half way, that's impressive. I'm sure I haven't been to that many states."

"Yeah," I laughed, "but you've got me beat with traveling to Europe."

"Have you been out of the U.S.?"

"Mexico. You know, spring break in Cancun."

He nodded. "Out of all your travels, what was your favorite trip?"

I thought for a minute, not sure how to decide. "Vegas with Ang when we graduated from college. We partied on the strip and drank by the pool, then spent a day at the Grand Canyon. It was just the two of us—officially starting our lives as adults."

"In a totally sinful way."

"Well, not totally, but yeah, we got a little rowdy."

"I'd like to see you get rowdy," he laughed, waggling his eyebrows and teasing me.

I blushed and tried not to smile. He was making me want to get all kinds of rowdy with him. "Maybe sometime, Dr. Cullen, when I'm not trying to impress your family."

"Sounds like a plan."

We sat smiling at each other for a few seconds until I remembered Edward's comments about his mom's drinking.

"I don't make a habit of that, you know?"

"What?"

"I don't know. I'm sorry. I was thinking about your mother."

"Oh! Fuck. Don't worry about that. She just... My mom didn't cope really well when her parents died a few years ago. The Fourth is a hard time since we always spent it with them at the beach. I might have exaggerated a little in my ad. She...she's fine. Don't worry, please."

I bit my lip, then finally nodded.

"I guess we still need to get to know each other." His shy smile made me want to do just that.

"We have two weeks. Plenty of time, right?"

He laughed. "It will have to be."

We grinned at each other while finishing our sodas, then Edward drove me home. I just needed to clean out my classroom and I was done working for the school year. Edward had picked up some extra shifts to have more time off for the Fourth so his schedule was crazy.

We texted or talked on the phone every day for the almost a week but then two days went by without a word. I left him a second message asking if things were alright, and he texted back a few hours later.

**Busy. Exhausted. Incredibly sorry. Meet me for coffee?**

It was eight o'clock at night. I might live in Seattle, but I wasn't a twenty-four hour a day coffee drinker. I did, however, want to see him.

**Sure. When?**

**Now? LOL Lobby cafe. Text me when you get here?**

Holy shit. He wanted me to come to the hospital? He was okay with that? Was I okay with that? It was a big step in our fake relationship. How would he introduce me? Who would I say I was if someone asked? This fake relationship was supposed to be for people who weren't going to see us everyday.

I mean, Angela knew, of course she did, but I hadn't told anyone else about Edward. It wasn't that I wanted to keep him secret, but I didn't want to have to explain that he we were probably only dating until after the Fourth. Oh, and he was paying me. It was just easier for me not to talk about our relationship and keep it separate from reality for the time being. Going to the hospital to see him was setting off all kinds of alarms for me. I was excited and terrified—pretty much freaking out.

Angela came down the hall from her bedroom and grabbed a Heineken from the fridge, twisting the top off. She leaned on the breakfast bar and sipped her beer.

"What's going on with you? You looked terrified."

I looked down at the phone, then up at her. "He asked me to come have coffee with him. At the hospital."

She took another drink then grinned at me. "What are you waiting for?"

"I don't know. For a sign that it's the right thing to do? This fake engagement is seeming increasingly real."

"What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong with that? We hardly know each other! He's paying me to meet his family!"

"Yeah, that part is kind of weird. But you two are pretty perfect for each other. You should pretend like the money isn't really from him."

"But it is."

She groaned. "So what? Seriously, Bella, in this day and age it doesn't matter how you meet someone, just that you do."

"It doesn't matter that he's paying me to meet his family?"

"You're pretty focused on that, aren't you?" She set her beer down and sighed. "If it's that big of a deal you should donate it to charity or something—they don't care where the money comes from."

Even though I'd been the one to bring it up, I didn't want to think about the money, that wasn't the issue at the moment. "You don't think it's weird he asked me to come to the hospital?"

"I think if he's cool with it, you have no reason not to go."

"What if I'm not cool with it?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "Why the fuck wouldn't you be? Seriously. You're starting to piss me off. Edward is hot. I don't really know what's going on between the two of you long term, but the bottom line is that, right now, he likes you. He asked you to come to his work for coffee, and unless I'm missing something, it's not a big deal. Change your clothes, brush your teeth and go already."

She was right, it was just coffee. Friends had coffee. I had coffee with her every morning. But out of everything she said I kept coming back to one phrase. I looked up at her and bit my lip, hesitating because I knew she was going to yell at me.

"You think he likes me?"

If he liked me too...that would make all of the difference in the world, but did he? I needed to figure that out.

Her laughter rang out through the living room. "You're a dork. Yeah, I think he likes you, but I don't know what that means. So go have coffee together and see if you can Nancy Drew it out of him."

I snorted. "Nancy Drew is not a verb."

"Do you teach English?" She eyed me with a bitch brow. "I didn't think so. Now go."

She always had a way of getting to the heart of the matter and she was completely right.

I gave her a nod, letting her know she'd talked me off the ledge, again. "Thanks, Ang."

"No problem. What are best friends for?" She angled her beer at me before making her way back to her bedroom to do who knows what.

I thought about the times I'd spent with Edward as walked out to my car. We got along well and laughed a lot. He made me smile and really listened to me when I spoke. I was more comfortable with him than with some people who I'd known for years, that was for sure. And when we kissed...I hadn't wanted to stop. Maybe he did want to be more than friends. Maybe I did too.

I took a deep breath and typed out a quick text to Edward.

**Be there in 30 min.**

I was going to Nancy Drew the shit out of him.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:**

Thanks so much for reading. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

In two weeks...Bella meets the infamous Garrett and learns a little more about Edward's parents. Hope to see you then! -T


	4. Take a Chance on Me

**Accidentally in Love  
><strong>**Ch 4:** **Take a Chance on Me  
><strong>**Warning/Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N: **You guys...I had the worst Monday in the history of time yesterday, no really - it was the worst - and I came home wanting to drown my sorrows in vodka and junk food. Then - my inbox started filling up with alerts and favorites and I was like,what's goin' on? But it was awesome and I totally needed it! LOL Turns out **DiamondHeart78** rec'd this story in her **Delay** update! How awesome is that? Big thanks to her and everyone that found their way here from her story. While I haven't started reading **Delay**, I love her stories **Evening the Score** (my favorite soccerward) and **Teacher of the Year**. Go check them out if you haven't read them!

ALSO - can you hear me screaming with excitement? AiL is up for Fic of the Week on **The Lemonade Stand**. No - really! I'm freakin' out! Thanks so much to** Mary Kitty Masen** for the rec and to those of you that have wandered here thanks to her! There are some great fics nominated this week and you can vote for five. If you have a minute, stop over and vote, you know, for me and four others. LOL

Thank you to **SydneyGen, Seastarr08 **and** E_Hunter** for betaing and being all around amazing friends.

I'm gonna warn you, the prereaders will fight you for Garrett...

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

I walked into the hospital coffee shop and found Bella sitting by the window with two mugs in front of her.

"You got me coffee?"

"Yeah, dark roast with two creams, right?"

She looked nervous about her choice and I had to stop myself from reaching forward to rescue the poor lower lip she was chewing on. No matter how badly I wanted to, it felt a little too intimate to touch her like that, so instead I thanked her and kept my hands to myself.

Taking a seat, I grinned across the small table. I hadn't realized quite how much I wanted to see Bella again until she was there in front of me. She was smiling too, and I felt hopeful that maybe the feeling was mutual.

I blew on my coffee and took a small sip while she watched me, her eyes wide. I wished I knew what she was thinking. After our conversation about me paying her, I was optimistic that she was interested in more than than just the weekend, but I had no idea how she really felt. I wasn't entirely sure how to figure it out, either.

Running a hand through my hair, I tried to smile and apologized for the last few days. "I'm sorry I haven't called or texted; my schedule has been out of hand."

"It's okay." She reached forward as if to take my hand but caught herself and wrapped it around her coffee cup instead. "I was just a little worried when you didn't respond after a couple of messages; it wasn't like you." Her head was cocked to the side, and I felt the weight of her gaze as she studied me.

"I'm fine, really." I sighed and gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry; there's no excuse for for not returning your calls."

"You've been working yourself into the ground. While I'm glad you invited me to coffee, I hope you didn't do it so you could apologize. In the future, just send me a text message saying you're alive but busy and I'll understand."

"In the future?" I grinned.

"Yeah, next time-" she stopped herself and bit her lip, blushing. She muttered something that sounded like "smooth, Nancy Drew," but I wasn't sure because that didn't really make sense. Then she sighed, "You know what I mean."

"I do," I laughed. "Next time I'll let you know."

We smiled at each other over the table, and what had been awkward for a second was back to normal. There were only three more days until our trip, and I certainly didn't want to start it off feeling anxious around each other.

"So, what else can I tell you about my family, to make you more comfortable with can meeting them?" While I was ready to get to know every little thing about Bella, I knew that it was important for her to be well versed in all things Cullen.

"How did your parents meet?"

I shook my head and chuckled, surprised at her line of questioning. "That's random, but okay. They met when my dad was doing his residency at Lenox Hill in New York. He treated her in the emergency room when she slipped on some ice and sprained her ankle."

"Oh, how sweet."

"Not really. She was a total bitch to him. She scratched up her hands, broke a couple of her nails and nearly ruined her white Dior coat when she fell."

She raised an eyebrow. "Dior?"

"Trust me, my mother never leaves out that detail. Anyway, she was awful to him. Then a few days later he was walking home during a rainstorm when he came around the corner and saw my mother in front of his building. She was soaked, leaning on her crutches, and wearing that same white coat, trying to flag down a cab. If you've ever needed to hail a cab in the rain in New York City...anyway, he decided to show her that despite her bad manners, he was a gentleman.

"He invited her inside to dry off and call for a private car. She was soaked and cold, and embarrassed about how badly she'd treated him at the hospital, so she said yes." I laughed, thinking about the way my parents told the story, bickering and finishing each other's sentences. "Dad says she pretty much said yes to everything he asked her from that point on. They were married within the year."

"Wow. Romantic. So your parents fell hard and fast.?"

He nodded. "That's kind of the norm in my family. Emmett met Rose after he chipped a tooth. Our family dentist had just retired, and there was a dentist's office down the block from his precinct, so he stopped in to make an appointment. Rose was the hygienist there and somehow he charmed her into a date and never went home."

"Alice and Jasper?" she asked with a laugh.

I nodded, smiling. "They met in an art history class. He didn't stand a chance once Alice decided she wanted him."

Bella snorted. It was adorable. "I can imagine. She's very good at getting her way."

"You think?" I laughed. My sister had been spoiled growing up, but as an adult she was simply driven. If she wanted something she figured out how to get it and would fight like hell to keep it. "She's always been like that. But she's a hell of a person to have in your corner."

"Loyal?"

"Fiercely. Her and Rose."

"I hope they like me."

"Of course they will. Why wouldn't they?"

"I don't know." She shrugged, but I had a feeling there was something in particular she was worried about.

"What is it?" I asked quietly, finally giving in to the pull I felt and reaching across the table to rub the back of her hand with my thumb.

Her eyes focused on our hands for a second before looking at me sadly. "What if we can't pull it off?"

"Don't worry about that. You're pulling it off now." Garrett's laugh boomed, startling us as he dragged a chair over to our table and spun it around before sitting between us. He took a swig of Mountain Dew and grinned at her.

Bella looked like a deer caught in the headlights, and I couldn't help but laugh.

He gave her a nod. "I'm Garrett, you must be Bella. I'll be your best man."

My laughter turned into a choking cough at his best man comment. I hadn't really thought about a wedding party, though suddenly I was sure my family was going to ask questions about it. I had always just assumed that Emmett would be my best man, and I told Garrett as much.

"Funny, I always assumed my brother would be my best man."

"What?" he laughed. "Everyone knows it's the BFF's job. I've always assumed it would be me."

"That's what you get for assuming, jackass."

Garrett rolled his eyes at me before looking at Bella again and turning on the charm. "Now, future Mrs. Cullen, tell me all about yourself."

She arched a brow, and I loved that he didn't seem to intimidate her. "Oh, you first...I insist."

"Well," he started, giving her a wink, "I'm a Capricorn. I like hiking in the woods and champagne in the morning. You've stolen my best friend and partner in crime, but I think you'll probably give me better dating advice anyway. I have a feeling you and I will become great friends."

"Interesting." She smiled politely and gave him a nod, then launched into a random, and rather hysterical, bio. "I'm a Virgo. I like walks on the beach and champagne—anytime—but I prefer vodka tonics. I like things that are bubbly. I love coffee but hate coffee cocktails—I don't see the point of combining a stimulant and a sedative. I like the Mariners but not the Seahawks. I could eat Mexican food every day and not get sick of it. My favorite book is Pride and Prejudice...I want someone to love me. Most ardently."

She paused and sighed a little dramatically with a dreamy smile on her face, then gave Garrett a serious look. "I teach math to hormonal tweens so you don't scare me, but I am sorry I took your wingman. I'll bake you some cookies as a peace offering."

I threw my head back laughing. She was amazing. Women tended to get all swoony around Garrett and do whatever he asked. Seeing her stand up to him was kind of hot.

Garrett looked at me with a straight face. "Do not fuck up the fake engagement with this girl. She's a keeper."

Bella blushed and tried to laugh it off, shaking her head at him. I wanted to give him a dirty look but I couldn't pull my eyes away from Bella's face. She was flushed and beautiful, trying to hide a smile that she couldn't contain.

"And on that note," he laughed and winked at her again, "I'm outta here. I'm sure there's a nurse somewhere in this hospital who needs to be hit on."

"Wow." Bella laughed. "Is he always like that?"

"He's usually worse."

"He's a good friend?" It wasn't as much of a question as an observation.

I nodded.

"But it's not the same as having your family nearby..."

"No, not even when your family is as crazy as mine."

She shook her head. "Your family is nothing compared to mine."

I smiled, wondering how crazy her family could be if it was just Bella and her father, but maybe she was talking about her mother. I'd already decided that woman was a serious piece of work.

"What made you move so far away from them—all the way to the opposite coast?" Her words were quiet and a little sad, as if she couldn't imagine why anyone would move away from their family.

I blew on my already cool coffee to give myself a second before answering. "My dad is a pretty big deal in the medical circles in New York, the whole East coast really. If I stayed there, no matter what hospital I went to, I'd wonder if my successes were based on my connection to him. So...I put in for matches on the West coast."

"I'm surprised you didn't go to Los Angeles or something."

"I was this close to going to Cedars-Sinai," I held my fingers an inch apart and laughed, "but I just couldn't pull the trigger. I really wanted a change."

"I'm glad you didn't go to L.A."

"Me, too."

She sipped her coffee, and I watched her thoughtfully. She was obviously glad to have met me, did she think there could be a future between us? When did I become so uncertain of myself? I've always been a confident person, you kind of have to be to a successful doctor, but here with her, I had no idea where I stood. I never seemed to when Bella was around. It was distressing and thrilling at the same time.

"What are your plans after residency? Will you stay in Seattle?"

She surprised me, digging for deeper information than she had on our past meetings. I supposed that it was something an engaged couple would have discussed, so maybe I was reading too much into it. I considered avoiding the question and telling her I didn't know, but that wasn't the whole answer, and to be honest I was tired of pretending I wasn't interested in her. There was no denying it anymore, so I might as well let her in on it.

"Honestly? I never imagined that I'd actually have to choose. I just mean, I thought that by now I'd be settled here—you know, have something more than Garrett to anchor me?"

I ran my hands through my hair again, tugging a little, before putting it out there.

"I love it here, Bella. I just...need a reason to stay."

Her eyes got wide and she licked her lips as a blush crept up her neck. Then, out of nowhere, she started to laugh. Loudly. She laughed until there were tears rolling down her face. I had no idea what was so fucking funny.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She wiped her eyes and stifled a final giggle. "You need a reason to stay, but no pressure, right?"

I laughed, finally getting the joke, but before I could say anything my pager on the table began to vibrate. Despite my best efforts, I felt a crooked smile take over my face.

"Saved by the pager," I joked as I stood. "Three more days. I'm really looking forward to our trip. I'll talk to you tomorrow, I promise."

"You realize this conversation isn't over, right?"

"Oh, I'm sure it's not." I leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then laughed as I started walking away. "At least we'll have something to talk about on the flight."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

The next days flew by in such a rush that I found myself packing only two hours before I needed to leave to pick up Bella for the airport. I'd been awake for thirty-six hours and was running on a fuel of stale bagels, coffee and some vile Pepsi Max that I'd found in the lounge. I went through the suitcase one final time and felt certain that I'd forgotten something, but I had no idea what it was. I zipped it shut anyway, knowing I could buy or borrow whatever it was when we got to the beach.

I sent a couple of emails, threw away the take-out containers that had been molding in my refrigerator and I was ready to go. I managed to stay awake while I loaded the car and drove to Bella's, but as I stood outside her door I felt my eyes closing. When I opened them she was standing in front of me in the doorway.

She reached forward to cup my face and ran her thumb under my eye. "You look rough, Edward. You need a vacation."

"God, yes." I laughed as I grabbed the suitcase by her feet. I felt like I was sleepwalking when I put my hand on the small of her back and led her to the parking lot.

After her bag was loaded in the trunk she surprised me by coming to stand on the driver's side of the car.

"Give me the keys."

Her voice was quiet but firm and when I looked into her eyes I knew she meant business. Arguing with her would be ridiculous since I could hardly form a coherent thought. I continued to look into her eyes for a second or two before giving up and handing over the keys to my Volvo.

She climbed in and slipped on her seatbelt before making adjustments to the seat and the mirrors. I was kind of impressed by how thorough she was.

"Ready, doctor?"

I snorted. "It's my family. The real question is are you ready?"

"The real question is how long is it going to take you to fall asleep when we get on the road?"

"Five minutes. Or less."

She shook her head as she started the car and backed out of my parking spot. The next thing I knew she was waking me up after finding a spot in the Sea-Tac parking structure. I stretched in the seat, and she grinned at me.

"We weren't even out of the complex before you were snoring, buddy."

"Sorry," I chuckled. "I just need a couple of hours and I'll be all set. I promise."

"Oddly enough, I believe you. I'm getting used to your crazy sleeping schedule."

"That's just it," I huffed, "there is no schedule."

"Aw...poor baby." Her mouth turned into a fake pout and she batted her lashes ridiculously.

"You have no sympathy for me?"

We stepped out of the car and met at the trunk where I grabbed our bags.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Do you have sympathy for me when I spend all week with hormonal kids who are making up and breaking up while staring at my ass and boobs all week?"

"No, but I _so_ never thought of your job that way. It kind of makes me want to go back to middle school."

"Nice," she said with an eye roll. "It's a wonder kids learn anything besides the birds and bees these days. They're so hyper-sexualized it's all they can think about. Sometimes I wonder if I taught sex math if they'd actually pay attention, but it'd probably just confuse them."

"Sex math?"

"Yes, you know, if you've had sex with X amount of partners and they've had sex with Y, then you're both having sex with Z."

"I've never heard it called sex math," I tried to sound serious, "but you'd really teach your kids about threesomes with Z?"

She groaned. "This conversation has taken such a wrong turn."

"Let's continue it when I'm more awake."

"I think we have another conversation to continue first."

I scrubbed my hand over my face and gave her a smile. "If you're not sure how that conversation ends..."

She stopped and turned to me, stepping close. Her hands ran up my chest before resting on my shoulders. "I know where I want things to go. I just wasn't sure we had the same ideas."

I dropped the suitcases I'd been wheeling and brought my hands up to rest over hers. "I know that we met rather unconventionally but, I can't stop thinking about you or wanting to spend time with you. It scares me a little, but it's the kind of fear that makes me want to know more about you, not run away from you. This is about way more than a weekend for me."

"Me too," she sighed before leaning up on her toes and sliding one hand around my neck to play with my hair.

She stretched forward to kiss me and I loved that she was initiating things. I wrapped my arms around her and returned the kiss, letting her know we were on the same page. When she finally pulled away, just enough that our noses were almost touching, we stood still for a moment, embracing and catching our breath.

I'd meant to talk quietly with her on the flight, but suddenly I knew it was the right time.

"I need to ask you something."

She nodded, her arms still around me.

"You've been amazing, getting to know me and learning about my family and coming up with a cohesive story about our relationship, but there's one detail we sort of overlooked."

Her brow furrowed as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a ring. I couldn't say that it was just for the weekend or ask her to pretend it was real. I certainly couldn't tell her that I had a feeling I'd be giving her my grandmother's diamond in the near future as well, so I settled for short and sweet.

"I bought this for you. Will you wear it?"

I held the simple gold Claddagh ring so she could see it. When she whispered "yes," I slid it on with the crown pointing towards her fingertip.

"Oh, Edward, thank you. I didn't know how I was going to explain not having a ring. It's beautiful."

"You have nothing to thank me for. We're in this together." I cupped her cheek. "Have I thanked you lately? You're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time."

She closed her eyes for just a second and smiled before taking my hand.

"Come on. Let's go visit your family."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:**

Awwwwww. Confessions of - something. :) And an awkward not-really proposal. Our kids have turned the corner... Coming up - do they stall-out or move forward? You'll just have to come back in two weeks to find out!

Thanks so much for reading, rec'ing, reviewing - everything. I'm thrilled and overwhelmed by the response to this story so far and hope I can keep writing a story you all enjoy. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

**Reading Rec's:**

Since people are doing me the kindness of rec'ing this story, I'd like to pay it forward. Two stories I'm loving right now -  
>(Update 113 Since people were having a difficult time finding some of the stories I've mentioned on FFnet - I've added a C2 to my profile where all of the fics are listed. Since FFnet is impossible to post links - Go back to my profile and scroll down to where you see my stories listed. Read the tab titles and go to the farthest right tab - **"Communities."** Click on the link for** "What I've Been Reading Rec's"** and there you are. You have to select "All Ratings" to see the complete list.)

**In the Woods** by **Oprah Winfrey** (and no, I don' think it's THAT Oprah, but it could be... I will drop everything when this updates. For real.)  
>Bella has a serious case of writer's block. A retreat to an isolated cabin in the mountains is just what she needs. The only problem? She's not alone and this mysterious, surly stranger is not looking for company. Mature content. Very AU.<p>

**Off the Record** by **Belladonna1472** (This is from the author of **The Cullen Campaign** - it is totally different, but equally captivating IMHO. I wasn't sure I would like it at first - but there's a mystery in here that I'm dying to figure out!)  
>"Friday, November fifteenth, 2024. Palo Alto, California. Interview with Edward Cullen, brother of missing New York Times journalist Emmett Cullen." When reporter Bella goes on assignment, what complications will arise? ExB, AHAU (**Update 1/13** - Belladonna pulled this fic before it was complete because she didn't feel she had time for it. :( Bummer, cuz it was really amazing. I'm adding Cullen Campaign to the C2 in its place because I love that fic too.)

Since I mentioned **DiamondHeart78'**s fics in the A/N at the top of this chapter - I"ve added them to the C2 as well. Enjoy.

And while I'm telling you what I'm reading fic wise - I'll also pass on that my great friend and beta, **E_Hunter,** has some published original fic you should check out... **Elemental Mysteries**. They're paranormal mysteries with a splash of romance. The first three are published and book four is on the way! They're available on Amazon, B&N, Smashwords and CreateSpace. /

Here's the description for the first book,** A Hidden Fire:** A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery he'd abandoned years before. He never expected a young librarian could hold the key to the search, nor could he have expected the danger she would attract. Now he and Beatrice De Novo will follow a twisted maze that leads from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation they never could have predicted.

Okay - I'm done. I'm not usually that long-winded in A/N's. LOL

See you next week with Fire and Rain if you're reading that, and in two weeks back here with AiL. Thanks again!


	5. A Little Traveling Music

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 5:** A Little Traveling Music

Warning/Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.**

**A/N: ** Wow. What a couple of weeks! Thanks so much to everyone that voted at TLS. We didn't make the top five, but just being recommended was awesome.

I have been completely fail at replying to reviews for the last chapter. I'd give you some good excuse, but the bottom line is I've been trying to write and stay on top of real life - which includes soccer, T-Ball, work and all of the other crap that comes with being a grown up. So better late than never, thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, tweeted hello or pm'd me with a grammar tip (*wink* thanks newborntwifan).

As always, big thanks to SydneyGen and Seastarr08 for looking this over for me. Any remaining mistakes are, sadly, all mine.

Oh yes - you're not crazy - it is Moday night. I'm crazy busy tomorrow so I'm posting early. I figured you'd all be cool with that.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**BPOV**

I was still thinking about Edward's admission and our kiss in the parking lot when we checked in. I didn't really pay attention to their conversation and simply handed him my driver's license to give to the ticket agent. He was finished before I knew it, and we rolled our bags to the TSA station. Then he put his hand on my back as we made our way to the next security checkpoint.

We made small talk as he casually led us through the airport towards our gate. It was strangely normal to be walking beside him. Like something we'd done a million times. Looking around, I realized that it was obvious to everyone that we were traveling together, as a couple. We stood closer together than we had just days before. His hand gravitated to the small of my back. We shared secret looks and jokes and my fingers itched to take his hand in mine. I tried not to get too caught up in how excited it made me as I followed his lead through the terminal.

Just short of our gate Edward slowed down and pushed open the frosted glass door to the first class lounge.

I thought I was going to have a heart attack when I realized what he was doing, and I might have stumbled a little. "We can't go in there!"

"Why on earth not?" he chuckled.

"We don't have first class seats. They don't just let anyone in there."

I took a step back but he didn't follow. Rolling my eyes, I wondered if he was used to doing whatever he wanted and getting away with it because he was so damn good looking.

He chuckled and shook his head, gently taking my hand and pushing through the door despite my protests. "It's fine. We have first class tickets."

"What? No. Really?" I sounded ridiculous, but I truly was surprised. I couldn't even imagine what my face looked like. My eyes were probably bugging out a little.

"Really." Flashing our boarding passes and a membership card or something at the hostess, Edward marched in like he owned the place. He put his laptop bag on a chair and ran a hand through his hair. "Coffee?"

"Always," I laughed, still trying to get over my shock. I liked that he knew me well enough already that he didn't wait for my answer before making his way to the coffee bar.

When he came back to the table his eyes met mine and his smile got a little bigger.

"What?" I took my coffee from him. It was the perfect cafe au lait color and smelled of hazelnuts and chocolate.

"Did you really think I was going to try to sneak in here or something?"

"I don't know. I've never done more than look at the door to one of these places. I was waiting for some alarm to go off or for security to start dragging me out of the airport."

"You're so dramatic," he teased. "Adorable, but dramatic."

"Thanks, I think."

He waggled his eyebrows just as his phone vibrated on the table, breaking the moment. It was a text from his sister Alice, reminding us to call when we got to the hotel. We stayed in the lounge until we had to board and were greeted by an overzealous stewardess. She was beyond helpful during pre-flight and take-off—and not a good way.

"I'm all set, thanks," I told the flight attendant for the fifth time. "If you don't mind, we'd like to be left alone."

I don't know how I said it while managing a smile. I was on to her. She didn't give a fuck if I wanted anything, she just wanted to lean close to Edward. I swear to God she was rubbing her breasts on him.

Edward smiled politely and nodded in agreement with me. She touched him on the shoulder one more time and walked down the aisle before he turned to me with a raised brow.

"What?" I huffed. "Did you want me to ask for a drink so she could put her boobs in your face when she poured it instead of just rubbing them on your arm? I mean, jeeze, we're in first class, you think she'd have some fucking manners."

He grinned and I could see his shoulders shaking as he tried to hold back a laugh.

"It's not funny. You paid a lot of money for these tickets—which you didn't have to do, coach would have been fine—you shouldn't have to put up with that."

"She wasn't really bothering me, but you're right," he reached over and took my hand, twining our fingers and resting our hands on his leg, "I paid enough that we shouldn't have to put up with her bothering you. I'm sure she'll leave us alone now."

I glanced at our hands and then back at him, suddenly feeling much calmer. He smirked at me and raised a brow, silently asking if I was okay.

I sighed and nodded. It was all a little bit much. He squeezed my hand and closed his eyes. I tried to pull my hand away to get out my iPod, but his fingers tightened on my hand again.

"Let me get something out of my bag," I said quietly.

He laughed silently but never opened his eyes as he released my hand.

Reaching in my carry-on bag I found my music player and my book. When I got settled and took Edward's hand again, I could see that he was already asleep. His breathing was even and his face was relaxed. He almost looked younger that way, with no lines on his normally expressive face.

I watched for a few seconds, taking advantage of his slumber to really look at him. His cheeks were tinged with pink, despite having turned the vent on over his head, the air in the cabin was warm and stale. His hair was mussed, but that was normal. It didn't seem to have an actual style, just the tousled appearance that he'd been running his fingers through it all day, and he usually had. The color of his hair was interesting itself. It wasn't auburn but it wasn't brown either. It was a brownish-copper that I'd never seen on anyone before.

His chest rose and fell with each breath. I felt a strange urge to put my hand over his heart, but I resisted. I only allowed myself to reach forward and gently touch his crazy hair. I giggled a little when it bounced back up after I moved my hand away, but I caught myself and kept quiet so I didn't wake him.

I wasn't sure how the stars had aligned and we'd found each other, but I was no longer questioning it. We were where we were supposed to be and I was going to let our time together play out however it would. He wanted a reason to stay in Seattle and, while I wasn't going to beg him to stay, I wasn't going to pretend like I didn't want him around. I had a feeling if Edward and I could stop fighting the connection we felt we would find that what was between us was so much more than a weekend.

With a glance at my book and then our joined hands, I sighed before settling in against him. I closed my eyes and listened to my favorite traveling music while I silently recited the facts about Edward's family that I needed to remember.

I woke with a stiff neck and blinked as I remembered where I was. Lifting my head from Edward's shoulder, the cord of my earbuds tightened and threatened to pop out of my ear. I reached forward thinking my iPod had fallen off my lap, and I fished around in the air for it. When I turned towards Edward I realized that I was all wrong.

I hadn't dropped my iPod at all, it was tucked into Edward's front pocket and the pull from my headphone cord was because he'd stolen an earbud. He was sleeping, his head angled away from me on the seat. His mouth was slightly open, our hands were entwined in his lap and my headphone was in his ear. He needed the sleep and trying to take my iPod back would have disturbed him, so I put my head back on his shoulder and closed my eyes again.

Eventually an announcement about preparing for descent interrupted my sleep. I sighed and tried to pretend like I hadn't heard it. I didn't want to wake up, but I was really warm—and suddenly I realized I was sitting in a position very different from the one I'd been in when I leaned against Edward to fall asleep.

I opened my eyes and looked down to confirm what I thought had happened. I groaned in embarrassment when I realized I was right.

Edward chuckled quietly, then turned and gently kissed my forehead. "Hey, sleepy head."

"Hey."

I tried to be as casual as I could as I sat up, untangling our arms and turning my body, which had angled itself around him, to sit up straight.

"Here's your iPod," he said quietly, holding it towards me with the cord wrapped around it.

I raised an eyebrow, letting him know that I was aware that he'd hijacked a headphone.

He smirked. "Your playlist surprised me a little."

"I travelled a lot with my dad, remember? We always listened to those bands."

I smiled, tucking the music player back into my carry-on. My book had fallen onto the floor so I grabbed that and put it away as well.

Edward opened his mouth to speak but the annoying flight attendant picked that moment to put her hand on his shoulder. I couldn't believe the balls on this woman.

"Please put your seats in the upright position for landing." Her voice was sickeningly sweet and she hadn't moved her hand off of my...off of Edward.

He turned towards her and, even though I couldn't see his face, I could hear his voice. And holy shit it was hot.

"Our seats are clearly in the upright position and you are very close to crossing a line with me. Now, get your hand off of me and do your job."

The woman's face paled and it would have been a lie to say I felt bad for her. She tripped over her words as she tried to apologize.

"I'm so sorry. Really, sir. If there's anything you need-"

Edward was still facing her and I almost expected him to tell her that she was digging her own grave, but he simply turned his back on her and smirked at me. "Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young? That's what your father listened to on road trips? I kind of want to meet your dad."

I let out a loud laugh and slapped my hand over my mouth, embarrassed at how loud it was in the enclosed space. Edward continued to smile and I knew he was letting me know that he didn't want the flight attendant to ruin the good day we'd been having. She seemed to have gotten the hint that he was done talking her and moved down the aisle.

"I mean, you've got the whole box set on your iPod along with a couple Neil Young's solo albums. Your dad instilled some good music taste in you." He leaned towards me and reached up, pushing some of my hair over my shoulder. "Tell me, what are your thoughts on Dylan?"

"Bob or Jakob?" His answer was more important than it should have been, but music, especially the oldies that my dad had taught me to love, was important to me.

"Bob. Always Bob, and that goes for the Marley's too."

"Of course." I giggled, but I agreed completely. He had completely passed that test. "How is it that we haven't talked about music before?"

"I have no idea, but I'm much more excited about the conversation now that I know you don't have a single Katy Perry song on your iPod."

"What's wrong with Katy, Doctor Cullen?"

"Nothing, if your fifteen."

I rolled my eyes at him, then jumped a little in surprise as the plane touched down. It was Edward's turn to laugh loudly and I tried to give him a dirty look but we just ended up grinning at each other. We turned our phones back on and finished getting our things together before the flight crew opened the door.

Edward's phone buzzed steadily with messages and texts as we made our way down the jetway. He glanced at the screen and shook his head. "My sister, my brother and my father."

"Wow, that's not even who I was expecting."

He quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, Alice was a given. I knew she would call, but I expected at least one message from your mother."

"Let's pray she doesn't call. If I know her she'll try to convince us all to get a hired car and come to the beach tonight."

"We can, you know? I mean, we don't have to spend the night here."

At first it hadn't seemed strange to spend the night in the city, but the more I thought about it I didn't understand why we weren't headed directly to the beach.

"No, it's fine. This is what I usually do. I need a little time to, I don't know, shift gears? I like to ease my way back into my family."

"You're not making me feel any better about meeting them."

He put an arm around my shoulder and kissed the side of my head. It seemed natural and I leaned against him as we waited for our luggage.

We took a cab into the city and Edward pointed out landmarks as we wove through traffic. I meant what I said about not minding if we headed straight to the beach, but I had to admit I was really excited to have Edward show me around New York City. While I had a long list of things I wanted to do and see, I would be happy if we got to walk through Times Square and see the Statue of Liberty in the harbor.

Edward took his phone out of his pocket and glanced down at the caller ID. "Excuse me, it's my sister."

They talked for a few minutes before he put his phone away.

I pulled my eyes away from the skyline and turned towards Edward. "What's going on with Alice?"

"They're checked in at the hotel and asked if we want to meet them for a drink."

"Sounds good to me, unless you had other plans."

"No, not really," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I thought we'd just play tonight by ear."

"That works."

I looked out the window again as the cab pulled over to let us out in front of an older building. The entryway was stately, with gold accents and script R's identifying the Roosevelt Hotel. It was just the type of entrance I imagined from old movies about New York.

"Oh, wow. This looks great."

Edward smiled. "Wait until you see the inside."

A bellhop grabbed our luggage as Edward paid the driver and we made our way into the hotel. It was underwhelming at first; a tiled entryway with display windows for several of the retail shops in the hotel.

Edward had led us quickly up the stairs into the actual hotel lobby and it was something else entirely. We stood for a second and took it all in. A massive chandelier hung in the center of the room giving everything a soft, golden glow. Two seating areas flanked a table that held a large flower arrangement, and I could see a dark but cozy looking bar on the far side of the room. Straight ahead was a second receiving area that held a bank of elevators and a large reception desk. I looked up at Edward and he was smiling down at me.

"Ready?" he asked, inclining his head towards the desk.

"Yes, sorry. It's just gorgeous in here. I got a little distracted."

"Don't be sorry. It's a great room. I'm glad you like it."

We waited for another couple to check in, then Edward was greeted like an old friend. "Mr. Cullen, good to have you back, sir."

He read her nametag and gave her a charming smile. "Thank you, Zafrina, we're glad to be here. Are the rooms ready?"

"Rooms, sir?"

He cocked his head and they looked at each other in confusion. "Yes, rooms. I reserved a suite and a deluxe room with a king sized bed."

"Yes, sir," she smiled in relief, "and your sister Alice checked into the deluxe room about an hour ago. The suite is ready."

"She what?" Edward looked shocked.

"Mrs. Whitlock came to check in and enquired as to whether you had arrived. When I told her that both of your rooms were vacant she said she must have misunderstood and cancelled their room."

It was obvious that the Cullen family made a habit of staying at the Roosevelt, and the poor girl looked terrified at the thought she'd somehow inconvenienced him. I wasn't sure that Edward could even comprehend what was going through her head, but I certainly did. She needed this job and she was afraid she might have just seriously screwed herself.

"Was that wrong, sir? I still have deluxe rooms available if you need one."

I couldn't stand to watch her suffer while Edward looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language..

"No," I assured her as I put a hand on Edward's arm. "That's exactly what happened. I forgot to tell Mrs. Whitlock that we'd booked them a room."

Edward's eyes swung to meet mine and I nodded. We certainly didn't need to have this conversation in front of the desk clerk.

"Oh, good. I mean, I'm glad that we cleared that up," Zafrina said with much relief. She finished checking us in and gave Edward our key-cards, mentioning that we were in time for happy-hour at their rooftop bar.

"Thank you," he smiled at her, his calm and charm had returned after being slightly flustered by Alice's hotel room nabbing, "but we're meeting my sister elsewhere."

"Of course. Your luggage will be delivered to your suite shortly. Enjoy your stay, Mr. Cullen, Miss Swan."

We stepped into the elevator and Edward sank back against the mirrored wall running a hand through his hair.

I was impressed at how well he'd held himself together; I knew he was just short of stroking out about his sister.

He looked at me and shook his head. "I'm so sorry. I fully intended you to stay in the suite by yourself."

I snorted. "I certainly don't need a suite, and really, your sister wouldn't believe another word we said if she found out we weren't sharing a room."

"I wasn't going to tell her," he said in all seriousness.

"Oh, Edward, you really don't know how women work," I teased.

He dropped his back against the wall and looked at the ceiling. "I'm beginning to see that."

I really didn't understand how such an attractive man could be so clueless when it came to women, but he had some definite blank spots in his knowledge of the female psyche. He had been trying to be a gentleman, and I got that, really, but how could he not realize that everyone would be watching us? On top of that, did he not know I wanted to share a room with him? I was nervous as hell about it, but still.

I needed to get him back on the same page with me. With a sigh I turned around and stepped close to him so we were only inches apart. My hands framed his face and his head snapped up so he was looking into my eyes. I'm not sure where I got the courage, but I knew I really had to put myself out there.

"We're going to share a room at the beach, right?"

He swallowed hard and nodded.

"Right, then this is for the best. Because I don't know about you, but I'd kind of like the first night we sleep together to be without your family as an audience."

He groaned and his hand came up to tangle in my hair. Our bodies drew closer as he leaned towards me and there's no telling what could have happened in that elevator, but just then the car stopped and the door opened.

I took a step back and gave him my sexiest smile. "Shall we?"

He barked out a laugh. "Oh, I think we shall."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N: **

Things are heating up... And Alice is right around the corner!

Thanks so much for reading. So glad that you're all still excited about this story. See you in two weeks!

Link - if you like those:

The Roosevelt Hotel - I fell a little in love with this hotel when I stayed there.

. ?pg=home


	6. I Trip Through Your Wires

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 6:** **I Trip Through Your Wires**

**Warning/Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N: **Thanks so much for reading, rec'ing, reviewing - all of it. You guys are amazing.

Thanks **SydneyGen** and **Seastar08**. You complete me. And you call me out on my dumb Americanisms. Love you!

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Bella made her way down the hall as I stood in the elevator, thinking about what she had said about our first night sleeping together. I snapped out of it after a few seconds and followed after her—quickly.

It was finally clear that Bella and I were on the same page. We both wanted more than a weekend together but I knew we were both scared. Scared that it might not work out, that this whole thing could blow up in our faces at any time. How the hell were we supposed to develop this new relationship while we were pretending to be engaged?

Or maybe I was thinking about it all wrong. Maybe in the face of our insecurities, this forced intimacy would be just what we needed to establish our relationship.

It didn't matter though. Watching her hips sway as she walked to our suite all I could think of was kissing her again. After the flirting we'd been doing, I wasn't going to stop myself this time.

She reached the room and held her hand out to me for a key, but I shook my head and ran the key through the code reader. She stepped into the room and I was right behind her, quickly taking her hand and maneuvering us so I could press her back against the door. Our bodies pressed together and my hands cupped her face as I leaned in and kissed her.

There was nothing hesitant about the way she responded. Her hands moved over my back and down to my waist, pulling me closer. I peppered kisses along her jaw and down her neck, breathing in the sweet scent of her skin. Her head fell back against the door with a moan when my teeth gently scraped her chin. My hands slid under her shirt and the feel of her skin was almost too much. She was soft and smooth and her breath caught as my thumbs caressed her stomach. One of her hands wove into the hair at the back of my neck, and she pulled my lips back to hers. I could have kissed her for hours but my body was begging to do more.

Just when I didn't think I could resist stripping her naked there was a knock on the door and we both froze. I groaned, dropping my head to her shoulder, and Bella's head lolled back against the door. My thoughts were jumbled and my heart was pounding.

"One second," I called, clearing my throat.

I stepped back but ran my hands up Bella's arms to rest on her shoulders. Our eyes met and I looked for a sign of regret. Thankfully, there were none. Her cheeks were flushed and she had a dazed look in her eyes. I was a little proud of myself for having that effect on her.

Smiling, I brushed some hair over her shoulder and kissed her forehead before moving out of her way. I straightened my shirt and adjusted my trousers, taking a deep breath before opening the door.

The bellhop was quick, bringing our bags in, accepting his tip and disappearing in seconds. When I turned to find Bella, she was standing by the windows with both arms wrapped around herself. I walked over to join her, gently pressing my chest to her back as I slid my arms around her. I wanted to ask if she was alright, but she hadn't pushed me away, so I kept my mouth shut, resting my chin on her head.

After a few minutes, she whispered without turning around, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, anything."

"How exactly did you end up telling your mother we were engaged? You never told me that."

"No, I guess I didn't."

I took a deep breath, trying to decide where to start with the story, and fighting very hard not to point out that she'd used the word we, referring to a time long before I'd met her.

"My mother can be very...persistent. She's been very involved in our social lives, trying to set us up on dates or introduce us to the children of friends. We all just sort of got used to it and ignored her or pushed the attention off on someone else. Once my grandparents died it got even worse, so when Alice got married she was able to focus all of her attention on me. Moving to Seattle stopped her for a while, but a few months later she was at it again.

I was exhausted. I'd worked ten days straight with little to no sleep and had just lost a patient. On top of that, she caught me at a time I was feeling particularly sorry for myself."

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly. She still hadn't turned to face me.

"I'm almost thirty and the only person who consistently has any idea what's going on in my life is Garrett," I said bitterly as I took a deep breath, running my hands over her arms for a second to settle myself. "That week...I was just done. I want what she wants for me—to have someone to come home to, to care for and have a family with—but I started to feel like it was never going to happen. And her voice was different that night. It was like, suddenly it wasn't about her getting old, but about _me_ getting old. It was like she felt sorry for me and I don't even know what came over me."

I sighed and told Bella about the phone conversation with my mother.

"_Edward, you can't wait until medical school is over to find someone. Love doesn't have a timeline like that, you have to be open to it whenever it finds you. Don't lock yourself away." _

"_I'm not, mom. I'm just busy. I work all of the time. I don't have much to offer anyone." _

"_Oh honey, you could offer them the world. Listen, I heard that all of the Clearwater's will be out at the beach for the Fourth this year. You haven't seen Leah in years, have you? She's such a beautiful young woman. I think she's a buyer at Macy's. I'll have to talk to Sue." _

"_Mom, don't set me up on any dates." _

_I felt sick. I didn't want my mother finding me women to date, but I was tired of being alone, of having nothing and no one that were mine.  
><em>

"_It wouldn't be a set up. I'll just see if she's single, dear."_

"_Mom, don't." _

"_Well, if you're not even trying..." _

_My chest was tight and I felt like I might be having a panic attack. She was right. I hadn't been trying. I'd been letting life pass me by and I was done with that. I needed to start living, but I needed her to stop talking about Leah Clearwater and her long black hair. I was not going to let my mother play matchmaker any longer. It was my life. My wife. And I was going to find her on my own. _

"_I've met someone. It's serious. Don't set me up on any dates." _

_She gasped. "It's serious? What does that mean? Why haven't you mentioned anything about this girl?" _

"...And then suddenly I was telling her we were engaged. She was so happy she cried, and I just stood there in my condo trying to figure out what the hell I'd just done." I gave a short laugh, shaking my head. "It was like I had this childish, internal tantrum to be independent and it totally backfired."

She laughed and the rumble it sent through my chest made me hold her a little tighter.

"She backed you into a corner and you panicked."

"Kind of. I don't know. I freaked out, that's for sure. Then I called Garrett and we got drunk. Somewhere after eight or ten beers he came up with the Craigslist idea and the rest is-"

"History," we grinned, finishing the sentence together.

She gave my arms a quick squeeze then turned around to face me, her back against the window.

I tried to read her expression, but I failed miserably. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

"No, you were just overwhelmed." She smiled sadly. "Is it crazy that I'm kind of glad it happened?"

"If you are then we're both crazy."

"Well, that's good. We can be crazy together."

She leaned up on her toes and gave me a quick kiss, then wrapped her arms around me into a hug.

After a few minutes I spoke quietly, "Are you okay?" I was a little overwhelmed by everything we'd been through since I picked her up; I could only imagine she was feeling the same..

She ran her hands through the hair at the back of my neck and I wasn't sure which one of us it was meant to calm.

She hesitated just long enough to make my stomach twist. "I'm fine."

I knew there was more to it. "I sense a but..."

She let out a long breath and leaned back so I could see her face. Her eyes drifting to the bedroom door. "I'm fine, but... I don't think I'm ready for-"

"Being thrown on the bed and ravished before drinks with my sister?" I finished for her with a laugh.

"Right." Her shoulders dropped in relief and she smiled. "I mean, a couple more kisses like the one by the door and I might be ready, but I'm not quite there."

I wouldn't lie and say I wasn't ready because, well, I'm a guy and I was beyond ready to have sex with her, but I knew that waiting was the right thing to do—and I wanted it to be more than just sex.

"It's fine, Bella. There's no rush." I looked into her eyes because I wanted her to know I meant it. Whatever was between us was building and I certainly didn't want to ruin it by moving too fast. There was enough pressure on us as it was.

I stroked her cheek and watched as her eyes closed. She was so beautiful like that; her head tilted up towards me and a slight blush on her cheeks. I couldn't resist and leaned forward to kiss her again. This time it was slow and sweet. It certainly didn't lack for passion, but it felt like much more.

When she pulled away to catch her breath, she stayed in my arms, putting her head on my chest.

Eventually my phone vibrated in my pocket with a text from Alice wondering where we were. Bella asked for a minute to freshen up, and when she was ready we began walking the short few blocks to Grand Central.

We held hands and Bella looked around excitedly, trying to see everything. As we walked up Park Avenue we talked about movies the famous train station had been featured in, from _Carlito's Way _to _I am Legend _and _Madagascar. _

We went through the main doors of the terminal and I put my hand on her back, leading her to the small flight of stairs that led to the Campbell Apartment. It was one of my favorite secrets in the city and an opportunity to experience another era.

The space had formerly been used as an office and reception hall in the 1920's by tycoon John W. Campbell. Since Campbell's death in 1957, the room had been used as an office, a closet and even a jail, but in 1999 the space had opened as a bar. The room had been redecorated to its original glory, with a large leaded glass window, a mahogany bar, a stone fireplace, with low lighting and cozy seating areas. They served old fashioned cocktails and the entire place had an old world air that always made me feel as if I'd stepped into a Hemingway novel.

Bella's breath caught as we stepped into the dark bar. "This is amazing."

Her reaction made me grin and I could tell by the look on her face that she loved it as much as I did. Glancing around the room, I saw my sister and Jasper seated on a small couch towards the fireplace.

Bella was still taking everything in when I tucked my hand under her elbow. "Ready?"

"Are they here?" She looked around almost frantically.

"Yes, right up there," I said, raising a hand to Alice, who was practically bouncing with excitement.

Bella looked at my hand on her arm, then moved out of my grasp and took my hand in hers.

I smiled and brushed some hair off her forehead. "Don't be nervous, it's just Alice and Jasper. You've already talked to her."

"I'm trying." She took a deep breath, leaned up and gave me a quick kiss, then nodded. "Okay. I'm ready."

I threw my head back, chuckling. "What was that?"

She shrugged. "A kiss for courage, I don't know."

"I'll remember that," I whispered in her ear as we made our way towards my family.

"Bella! Oh my gosh, it's so great to meet you!" Alice gushed, stepping out of the seating area to hug Bella.

I greeted Jasper and we exchanged a one-armed hug before standing back to smile at his wife's antics. We couldn't hear what the girls were saying, but their heads were close together and they were giggling. Suddenly Alice was holding Bella's hand up and examining the Claddagh ring she wore on her ring finger.

I was torn between being terrified and being thrilled at the sparkle in Bella's eyes. Alice gave me a questioning look over Bella's shoulder and I knew she was wondering if I was planning to give Bella Grammy Platt's ring. Luckily, that was a conversation we could save for later.

"It's beautiful," Alice gushed. "So classic."

Bella smiled back at her, eyes shining and I felt like I'd won the fucking lottery. I was falling hard and fast for this girl, there was no doubting it any more.

They were already beginning to chatter like old friends and Jasper stepped forward to interrupt and introduce himself. He gave Bella a quick embrace while Alice crushed me to her. She was strong for being so tiny.

"I love her!" she whisper-yelled in my ear. "Don't screw this up!"

"I'm trying not to!" I laughed. Really I didn't know what the hell I was doing, but losing Bella or screwing it up was the last thing on my mind. I wanted it to work so badly I could almost taste it.

Finally we all sat down, Bella and I on the couch and Alice and Jasper in two club chairs. Alice launched into a million questions for Bella: How was our trip? Was there anything she needed to do in the city before we left for the beach? They were all very innocent questions, and because I knew Alice, I knew they were designed to lull her into a sense of security so she could pounce with more intimate questions when Bella least suspected it. At least that was my sister's typical MO but she seemed to really like Bella, so maybe she wouldn't be quite so nosy.

We ordered drinks and continued talking. Things went smoothly as I waited for the more difficult questions to come.

"So," Alice started with a grin as the waiter delivered our second round of drinks, "how exactly did my brother propose to you? I'm dying to hear!"

I had my arm around Bella and my fingers tightened reflexively while she gave a nervous giggle.

"I'd love to hear the answer to that."

My father's voice shocked me as he came into view after the waiter moved out of the way.

"Dad!" I jumped up, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know how it is." He waved his hand as if it was no big deal. "If you're not that first person to leave the hospital before a holiday weekend you're inevitably the last."

We were all on our feet as my father laughed at our shock and exchanged greetings with Alice, Jasper and me. Then he grinned at Bella, who was standing quietly by my side grasping my hand with both of hers.

"And you must be Isabella. It's so good the meet you." He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

She bit her lip then smiled shyly. "Please, it's Bella, Doctor Cullen, and the pleasure is all mine. Edward has told me so much about you—about all of you."

"All lies, I assure you. And call me Carlisle, I insist." He laughed as he pulled a chair over and sat between Alice and Bella. "I didn't mean to interrupt you kids; I thought I'd be headed home before your flight even landed. Now, Edward, Bella, I'd love to hear the story of your engagement."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

A/N:

Thanks again for reading. I'm kind of overwhelmed by the love ya'll show for this story. I'm so glad you're liking these crazy kids.

I managed to crank out five chapters of my Twilight 25 piece last week, but now I have 10 left (seven now) to finish by the end of the month. Go me. HA. I think I can. I think I can.

See you in two weeks!

Link: The Campbell Apartment: This place is so freakin' cool. You should really check it out if you're in NYC.

http:/www(dot)hospitalityholdings(dot)com/


	7. Bedroom Confessional

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 7:** Bedroom Confessional

**Warning/Disclaimer:**I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N:** OMG you guys... I cannot even... I woke up Tuesday morning to discover that FFnet had yanked one of my o/s's because there was a swear word in the title. I'm cool with that, it violated the ToS (even though is was posted for over a freakin year-douches) - but I got restricted from posting til Friday morning. Are you kidding me FFnet? People want their updates! LOL Anyway - I posted on my blog and TWCS on Tuesday, so if something like this happens again, I suggest you look for me there.

Thanks so much to Midnight Cougar for rec'ing AiL on her RobAttack! blog last week!

robattack(com)wordpress(com)com/2012/05/25/fanfiction-fridays-recs-for-may-2512/

I've been busy trying to crank out the end of my Twi25 stuff (which I just made with hours to spare), so I think I only got to half of the review replies for AiL. But I read and appreciate every review. Thank you all so much for reading, whether you take a minute to drop me a line or not.

Thanks to **SydneyGen** and **Seastarr08** for being the greatest support team evah!

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

"_...Now, Edward, Bella, I'd love to hear the story of your engagement." _

_BPOV_

I wanted to laugh as soon as the words were out of Edward's father's mouth. It was obvious from the very start that the Cullens were a close family, but I clearly had no idea what that really meant. In the last two hours, Edward's sister had absconded with my hotel room assuming it was for her, and his father had swooped in to crash our casual cocktail hour. These were not things I was used to. I felt a little bit like I'd stepped into an episode of _Leave it to Beaver_, or possibly _Mad Men,_ either way it was not my reality.

We would have been outed if I let Edward tell our story. He talked a big game, but lying to his family's faces was going to be difficult for him. My hand was on his thigh and I gave it a gentle squeeze before I smiled at his father and began to speak.

"Oh my gosh, he totally surprised me!" I laughed.

"I surprised us both," Edward laughed, turning to gently kiss my temple.

I grinned at him, understanding that the kiss was both a thank you and encouragement. Then I smiled at his father again and wove the story we'd planned.

"We were out for coffee, and Edward told me the story about how you and Esme met. I joked that you fell hard and fast, and he said that was the norm in your family. He told me about Emmett and Rose, then the two of you." I smiled at Alice and Jasper, then looked at Edward, meeting his eyes.

I opened my mouth to finish, but he interrupted, picking up where I left off.

"And then I told her that it had happened to me, too. That I knew she as the one for me. I dropped to my knee and said, 'I wasn't planning on doing this today. I don't even have a ring with me, but I can't wait to ask you. Marry me?'"

His eyes never left mine. The story had become a confession, and while my head tried to argue that it was too sudden, my heart knew he spoke the truth.

I reached over, cupping his cheek and leaned in to give him a quick kiss. His hand covered mine, then joined our fingers and put our hands in his lap.

When I turned my head I realized that Edward's family was staring at us with a mixture of shock and awe.

I waved my hand in front of my face, laughing a little to clear the air of of our emotions. "And then I cried and said yes. It was perfect."

Jasper smiled sweetly at us while both Alice and Carlisle looked a little emotional.

"I'm so happy for you," Alice gushed for the umpteenth time.

It was almost like she just couldn't believe it. Not that she couldn't believe _us_, but she couldn't seem to get her head around the idea that Edward was engaged to anyone. I felt bad for him. I knew that it wasn't that he didn't want to find love, but that his priorities had made it nearly impossible.

I took a sip of my drink and listened as the Edward and his father talked about a doctor they knew who was retiring. Carlisle smiled at me then his brows creased and he tilted his head looking confused.

"I'm sorry, is that a Claddagh ring?"

"What? Yes." I held my hand towards him, displaying the simple but elegant ring. "It's beautiful."

"Yes, of course, it's beautiful. Classic. It's just not... " He paused, his eyes moving to Edward. "I didn't recognize it. That's all.

"We just told you it was a spur of the moment thing." Edward's eyes were on his father, and I knew there was something going on that I didn't quite understand.

"Edward gave me this a little later. He knows I love what the Claddagh stands for." I looked at Edward, trying to let him and everyone else know that I didn't feel the least bit slighted because he hadn't bought me a flashy engagement ring. "He can give me a diamond at the wedding."

Alice almost choked on her drink and I hoped I hadn't come off sounding like a gold digger or someone just out for a big rock. That wasn't me at all.

"That's sweet," she said, trying to cover for whatever her reaction had really meant.

"It's lovely," Carlisle was backpedaling, "and I'm sure Alice, Rose and Esme would love to go ring shopping with you sometime."

"Oh, yes! We'd love to!" Alice's eyes got bright. "Have you set a date, or decided on any sort of time frame for the wedding?"

Edward cleared his throat and sat forward. "Since Bella teaches it probably won't be until sometime next summer. Christmas is too busy, and too soon."

Alice nodded as he spoke. "That's perfect. I could organize something in a shorter amount of time, but a year is great! I'll have to plan a trip to Seattle. Oh, Jazzy, we could go to that antique store I love near Pike Place Market."

It took a second for her words to sink in, but then I realized, one, she assumed she was planning our wedding, and two, she thought our potential-fake wedding would be in Seattle.

"Wait," I said quickly, holding a hand out and glancing at Edward before I looked back at Alice.

"We're still talking about it, but we'll probably get married here—well, out east. I, um, don't really have much family, and there are so many of you it just makes more sense."

"Oh, of course, even better. I have so many great contacts here in New York. Edward, we should check available dates at the club this weekend while we're at the beach. That might be a great location."

"Relax," Edward grinned at his sister, laughing. "We have time. Don't overwhelm Bella or she won't let you help."

"No, it's fine. I'll need her help." I didn't want to push his sister away so early in our relationship. She seemed a little sensitive and overprotective where Edward was concerned, and I didn't want to step on her toes.

"I was just teasing." He smiled down at me, then pushed a lock of hair over my shoulder.

I felt myself get caught in his gaze, unable to look away. There were suddenly so many things that I wanted to ask him, and to tell him as well, but we were trapped in a lounge playing out a bizarre role-play with his family. I thought we'd have time to ease into the lies, but we'd jumped right into talking about the fake wedding that I was beginning to want just as much as the gold ring on my finger.

Sure, when Edward and I had come up with our story I'd told him the truth about what I wanted in a wedding, but pretending something was real and wishing that it was were so very different.

"Are you alright?"

I watched his lips move but his voice was so quiet I'm sure no one else heard. My heart thumped a little, thrilled at his concern. I could only manage to nod but it was enough for him to relax again. The worry left his eyes and his shoulders dropped just slightly.

Carlisle was talking with Alice and Jasper and I turned to watch them, noticing that they seemed oblivious to Edward and me. It seemed that we'd convinced them of our relationship so far, though I had a feeling Alice had a few more questions for me.

Edward slid his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to his side. I loved knowing that he wanted me to be there, that it wasn't just an act. I sighed and leaned against his shoulder. We'd had a long day traveling and, though we weren't entirely lying, the front we'd put on for his family was draining. I hoped that after we had a little more time alone together we could relax even further.

"Well," Carlisle's voice brought our attention back to him as he put his hands on his thighs and stood before taking out his wallet and putting some money on the low table. "I need to head out before your mother sends the cavalry. Bella, it was lovely to meet you."

We stood and said goodbyes, and Alice promised not to keep us out too late, telling him we'd see him in the morning. Things were suddenly uncomfortable when he was gone, the four of us standing there looking at each other.

"So, Alice," Edward finally broke the ice, "you won't keep us out too late? What do you have planned? We haven't eaten yet, I was thinking we could get some dinner."

Jasper's eyes lit up and it was more excitement than I'd seen from him all night. "That sounds great! Wait—you mean what I think you mean, right?"

"Yes, I mean what you think I mean." Edward grinned and Jasper looked relieved.

Alice simply rolled her eyes at them then muttered, "Boys."

"What?" I laughed. "You lost me."

"Jazz wants Shake Shack," Alice put an arm around her husband and smiled like she was indulging a child. "He has some insane need to eat there every time we're in the city."

"Is it good?"

"Is it good?" His eyes got big and he looked shocked that I would even ask. "Edward, haven't you told her about Shake Shack?"

Jasper grabbed the bill that our waiter had just placed on the table and checked it against the cash Carlisle had left. Satisfied, he handed both to the waiter and looked at Edward, waiting for his answer.

"You know, I'm not sure I specifically mentioned it. It was purely self-preservation, I swear, there's nothing like it in Seattle."

"Not cool, brother. Not cool." He motioned me over and held out his arm for me. "Let me tell you about the greatest hamburger chain in the city."

Somehow I lucked out and Alice turned off her interrogation for the rest of the evening. She filled me in on some gossip about their family and neighbors so I would be prepared for meeting everyone. Edward and Jasper rolled their eyes thinking it was unnecessary, but Alice and I knew how essential it was.

I felt like Edward and I had done a good job of making Alice believe our engagement, though I had caught her staring at my ring a couple of times. Edward had been unconsciously touching me all night—rubbing my back, holding my hand, leaning over to kiss me every so often. When we stood in line at Shake Shack I thought I might go crazy. He was right behind me, his warm body pressing into my back and his hands resting casually on my hips. I'll admit that I might have leaned back against him and wiggled my ass a couple of times. I couldn't resist, and he deserved it for teasing me like that.

By the time we rode the elevator up to our hotel room I was exhausted and turned on and nervous all at once. I tried to focus on Alice and Jasper's words as they made plans for us all to meet in the morning, but I was distracted by Edward's thumb, which had eased its way into the waistband of my pants and was burning against my skin.

We said our goodnights as we reached our floor, and I saw Edward whisper something to Jasper. He smirked and nodded in response and they exchanged a one armed hug. Alice practically squeezed the stuffing out of me, telling me again how glad she was to meet me and that she could see how good I was for her brother.

I bit my lip as we entered our room, halfway anticipating Edward pushing me against the door again but he moved all of the way into the suite and turned on a light. I put my purse down next to my suitcase and watched him bolt and chain the door.

"Is that what you were whispering with Jasper about?"

"What? Oh, I told him not to let her wake us up too early. She can be a little over excited sometimes."

"I can see that," I laughed, thinking that it could probably apply to his entire family.

It was quiet for a few seconds and until Edward cleared his throat. "What you said earlier, about our first night together..." He ran his hand through his hair, pausing to meet my eyes, "I remember what you said and I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

He was adorable. It was obvious that despite his odd codependence of his family members that he had been raised well.

"I wasn't worried." I stepped towards him and put my arms around his neck. "I trust you and what you said just now proves that I can."

He sighed, gathering me in his arms and I rested my head on his chest. "Tonight went well, don't you think?"

"It did. Your father was a surprise, but I think everyone believes us."

"What's not to believe?" he chuckled, his chest rumbling under my cheek.

"That we're not actually engaged."

"Psh. A technicality."

"Right."

He ran his hands down my arms, stopping to squeeze my hands. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. Should we get ready for bed? You can go first."

I nodded. "Sure."

My suitcase was on a bench next to the dresser, so I opened it up and rifled through it until I found my cosmetics bag. Then I dug in my carry-on for for the smaller bag that I kept in there with a few essentials I didn't want the airlines to lose.

I headed into the bathroom and changed into my pajamas before going through my evening routine. I used the toilet, brushed my teeth, washed my face and put on moisturizer. And then, because I was getting in bed with Edward, I put on a little extra deodorant and a spritz of vanilla body spray.

When I opened the door I saw Edward sitting on the end of the bed dressed in sleep pants and a t-shirt. He held his toothbrush and toothpaste in his hands as he watched Sports Center. It was so... domestic... that it stopped me in my tracks. I could imagine Edward watching TV in bed every night and me falling asleep despite the flickering lights and murmuring voices. I leaned against the doorframe and watched him, the light from the TV flickering over his face as he made quiet comments.

"Ridiculous... They should have traded him years ago... No shit he's not living up to his potential... Damn, now that's a catch."

He was cute the way his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed in disgust at something the commentator said. I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face or stifle my giggle when he shook his head and mumbled, 'fucking Jeter.'

His eyes popped up to mine and he caught me watching and laughing at him. He smiled as he ran a hand through his hair and stood. "Sorry, I was just catching up on some baseball news."

"Of course," I stepped out of the doorway and took my folded clothes to my suitcase. "The bathroom is all yours."

"Thanks. I'll just be a minute."

He went into the bathroom, closing the bathroom door behind him. I rummaged around in my suitcase, putting away my clothes and re-arranging things so my outfit for the next day was on top. Then I stood in front of the bed for a second, not sure which side to take. We hadn't talked about which side of the bed we preferred to sleep on. It seemed like such a little detail, but it was important. It was definitely something I should know about Edward. I debated whether I should wait for him or climb in and decided to go for it. I drew the comforter back and slipped under the sheets, adjusting the pillows around me the way I liked.

Edward came back into the bedroom and turned off the lights before walking to the other side of the bed. He put his knee on the mattress and smiled down at me.

"That's your side, huh?"

"It is," I said, sitting up on my elbow.

He got into bed, leaving the covers around his waist and lay on his side facing me. "That works out good; I like this side."

"I like to be close to the wall." I wrinkled my nose, not able to explain more than that.

He nodded. "I've always slept away from the wall. My mom said that when I was little I would sleep on the edge of my bed practically falling out."

"Do you still?"

"No," he chuckled. "I think I'm beyond the fear of monsters in my closet and feeling like I need to be able to jump out of bed in a heartbeat."

"That's adorable."

"It's a secret."

We lay still, facing each other and smiling for what felt like forever but was probably less than a minute.

"Thank you," Edward whispered, breaking the silence.

"For sleeping with you?"

"That too." He laughed, then got serious again. "For doing this. For being willing to travel across the country and let my family watch our every move."

"I think we've past the point where you need to thank me. It's not about the ad anymore; I truly want to be here with you. I'm just nervous about lying to your family."

"Thank you," he sighed, and I rolled my eyes at him for saying it again. He reached forward to cup my cheek, and I felt my head turning into his palm. "I want to be here with you too. I think my family will see that and the rest is just details."

"Right. Wedding plans—no need to worry about discussing those with your family."

He laughed and leaned closer so he was a breath away. His hand slid to the back of my neck, bringing us even closer together. His breath was warm and minty against my lips.

"Stop worrying."

I started to nod my head and his mouth covered mine, kissing me softly. Every gentle stroke of his tongue was a promise that things would be fine. We kissed like that for a while, our hands moving over each other lightly, learning contours and spots that made each other moan. We ended up shirtless, making out like teenagers. I hadn't made out like that with someone in years and was amazed at how fun it could be.

Things with Edward were certainly moving forward and I didn't want to be anywhere else, but neither of us were ready to have sex. At least I didn't think we were. I wasn't, yet.

But after feeling what he had pushed against my side and the way his fingers worked my nipples and between my legs—I had a feeling I wasn't going to survive the weekend without it.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:**

*ducks and hides* Sorry for the tease - well, not really! We'll get there kids, I promise.

Thanks again for reading. Glad you're still here with me. I know I say this after every chapter, but I'm thrilled and overwhelmed by how much people like this story. So glad to give everyone something happy to read.

I'd like to say I'll start updating sooner, but I don't want to jinx myself. I need to get written ahead a little farther, and summer weekends are getting busy. I'm going to stick to my 2 weeks for now... but hopefully I'll get it to every week soon. (With the holiday this Monday I forgot to post a tease on Fictionators (whoops!) but I'll be back there in 2 weeks!)

*Oh my gosh* LOOKY -

Despite the FFnet douchebaggery I have a rec for ya'll - in the last two weeks I have fallen madly in love with a pair of writers in the fandom and their crazy southern fried fic. Go read** Southern Comfort **by **JiffyKate**. Cajunward. *nods head—UNF* It's a WIP, but they're updating twice a week and I cannot get enough of this story - or the two Belles behind it. :)


	8. Over My Head

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 8: Over My Head**

**Warning/Disclaimer:**I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N: **Oh man, has it been two weeks already? LOL Time is flying!

Thanks so much for reading. A lot of people had questions about the reactions to Bella's ring, I hope this chapter clears it up a little. You won't know the whole story yet, but it's coming.

I think I got caught up on reviews this time, if I missed you - I'm so sorry. Thanks for reading!

Big thanks to **SydneyGen, Seastarr08** and **Greenabsinthia** for betaing and prereading!

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

EPOV

I woke to the sound of someone knocking on the door. Sitting up quickly, I tried to figure out where I was and what time it was.

Hotel room. The Roosevelt. With Bella. Shit, where was Bella? My heart pounded as I looked around the room as if she was hiding in a corner or something. She wasn't, but her things were still piled on her suitcase so I knew she hadn't left. I took a deep breath and realized the shower was running.

Bella.

In the shower. Naked.

I needed a shower. I could join her. Were we at that point? Probably not.

The pounding on the door started again. I tightened the knot on my sleep pants and made my way to the door to look through the peephole.

My sister stood in the hallway with her hand raised to knock on the door again.

"Hang on," I called as I took the chain off the door and opened it.

"Good morning! I come bearing gifts." She leaned up and kissed my cheek then charged into the hotel room carrying a tray with coffee and fruit.

"Morning."

Yawning, I scratched my head and stepped into the bedroom to grab a t-shirt out of my suitcase. Pulling the shirt on, I went to join Alice in the living area. I picked up a banana and a cup of coffee off the table and sat down.

Alice sipped her coffee and smiled. "Bella's in the shower?"

I nodded and peeled the banana.

She bit her lip and looked over her shoulder at the bathroom door before turning back to me with a sigh. "I really like her. She's so... normal."

"What does that mean?"

"Don't talk with your mouthful. It means that she's great, and I'm really excited that she'll be my sister in law."

I accidentally gulped hot coffee when she used the term sister in law, but I managed to recover and make a joke. "I'm so relieved you approve."

I didn't know why I reacted to her words at at all. Was it because I wasn't used to thinking of Bella as a real part of our family? Or was it because a part of me, a part that got bigger and bigger with every moment I spent with her, wanted it?

"Whatever." She crumpled up a napkin and tossed it at me. "Mom will like her, too. Rose will be … well, Rose, but it will be fine. But, you know I have to ask..." her voice trailed off and she sighed. "You bought her a Claddagh?"

My head dropped back and I let out a groan. "Jesus, Alice. Could you and dad have been more obvious staring at her ring last night? Yes, I bought her a Claddagh. Did you think I was going to bring her out here with nothing on her hand? How do you think mom would react to that?"

"She wouldn't like that at all." She snorted.

Exactly. Mom would have been pissed if I brought Bella out here with nothing on her hand to indicate she was engaged. I thought the Claddagh had been pretty clever. It represented love, loyalty and friendship. We had two of those and, if I was being honest, even a little bit of the third.

"The Claddagh is nice, but...we've talked about it for so long-"

"Mom has talked about it," I uninterrupted her whine feeling frustrated.

"We all talked about it... how the rings would be given to the women you and Emmett love, that they were meant to be worn—not stuck in a box. Em gave Rose grandma Cullen's ring." Her eyes were sad. "It just doesn't feel right. I mean, Bella deserves Grammy's ring. Doesn't she? Are you going to give it to her?"

_Fuck. How the hell should I answer that? _Avoidance. It was the only way.

"I didn't have it. The ring was here; I was in Seattle."

She gave me a look that told me she thought that was bullshit. "Answer the question."

I sighed. "Yes. I plan to give it to her." Maybe not this weekend... "I'll take it home and get it sized, and I'll surprise her again."

"Oh!" Her eyes lit up and she looked like she'd won the lottery. "You don't need to have it sized! She has the same size finger as Grammy."

"What?"

I pulled my shirt away from my chest and fanned myself a little. It was getting hot. Must have been from Bella's shower, or maybe it was my impending panic attack. What was my sister even talking about?

"Bella told me her ring size when we were talking about packing. I have some great vintage pieces I brought out for her..."

Alice's voice continued but I didn't hear half of what she said.

I had no idea what she was talking about, but I cut her off. "Did you get the ring from the bank?"

My voice sounded off even to my own ears. In the pit of my stomach I knew it was something she would do. Part of me was hoping she said no, but again... there was part of me that knew that if she said yes it was just one more sign that Bella and I were supposed to be together.

"What? Grammy's ring?" She grinned. "Why? You want to give it to Bella this weekend?"

_Holy shit. Did I? Could I? _

"It doesn't matter." She grinned and waved her hand as if to say it was no big deal. "It's in my purse. I'll give it to you later, I came over to ask how long 'til you two are ready to go?"

It was like Alice to change the topic like that. She could talk about something deadly serious and then turn around and ask about the weather. I was still thinking about whether or not I would give Bella a real engagement ring and she had wanted me to know when we could get on the road. I had no idea how her mind worked.

"What do you think?" She gave me an impatient look.

My eyes darted toward the bathroom door, and I tried to come up with a time frame. Half an hour? An hour? How long did Bella take to get ready? I'd dated women in the past who could have spent hours in the bathroom primping. She said she was low maintenance, but that didn't help me with a time frame. Alice was still waiting, and I knew I had to say something.

"I don't know, an hour?"

She barked a laugh. "Jesus, Edward. How late did Bella keep you up? You're half asleep!"

My eyes must have been as big as saucers. "No, we- I - um..."

"Wow. I was expecting you to tell me you were the one keeping her up, but you don't even want to talk about it. You've changed. It's kind of nice."

The bathroom door opened and Bella saved me from having to say anything. She was, however, dressed in nothing but a towel and I thought I would have a heart attack. Her skin was so gorgeous. I'd heard of porcelain skin before but never truly seen it. That's exactly what Bella's skin looked like though, cool, smooth porcelain. Sure, I'd kissed her the night before, but it had been dark and I couldn't see her flawless skin. I wanted to touch it, maybe lick it, definitely run my lips along her collarbones.

"Hey, Alice. Oooh, coffee."

Bella made her way over to the table and grabbed a cup before sitting on the arm of my chair. She smiled down at me as she adjusted her towel. "Hi."

"Hi," I managed, trying not to imagine what she looked like under the scrap of cotton. "Good shower?"

"Mm hm. I saved you some hot water."

"Thanks."

"You two are adorable." Alice grinned at us. "Bella, he says you can be ready to head out in an hour. Does that sound good?"

"Sure."

"Great." Alice stood and moved behind the couch. "I'm going to go light a fire under Jasper's ass then, because I'm sure he's still watching the news. Meet you in the lobby?"

"It's a plan," I agreed as she let herself out.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the chair. Fresh out of the shower, Bella smelled delicious. Combine that with the rich smell of coffee and I was in heaven; I still wanted to touch her skin. I sighed as I thought about the cold shower that was in my future. At least it would wake me up.

Bella took my coffee from my hand and gently ran a hand through my hair. I felt the chair shift as she stood, then she took my hand and tugged.

I opened my eyes to find her smiling down at me again, and I let her pull me to my feet.

She ran a hand over my hair and smirked. "Morning."

"Morning." Not very eloquent. There was something about her that reduced me to a hormonal teenager. It was upsetting and thrilling all at once.

Putting my arms around her, the towel was the only thing between us and she giggled as it gaped a little.

I raised my brow. "Do you know how tempting you are standing there in nothing but a towel?"

Her nose wrinkled. "I look like a wet rat. Let me get my hairdryer, and you can shower."

She tried to back up, but I kept my arms around her. The morning could have been awkward, and I couldn't believe I thought it, but I was glad we hadn't woken up in bed together. That might have been too much for both of us. But she handled Alice's presence like it was an everyday occurrence and seemed completely comfortable walking around in a towel and letting me hold her.

"What?"

Rubbing my nose along her neck, I kissed the spot just below her ear. Her skin was just as smooth as it looked.

"I just want to thank you before it gets crazy. Whatever happens, thank you for coming out here with me."

Her fingers tangled in the hair at the back of my neck, and she kissed my forehead. "Stop thanking me. I want to be here."

We looked straight into each others eyes, and I didn't really have the words to tell her everything I was thinking. I was so glad she was with me and looking forward to our time together. She was more than I could have ever imagined. My hand came up to cup her cheek and I bent my head to kiss her. My lips were just brushing hers when there was another knock at the door.

"Fuck," I whispered against her mouth before pressing my lips hard against her in a quick kiss.

She groaned as I stepped back and she grabbed her towel to hold it up.

I took a deep breath and checked the peep hole again. "What now?"

"I'm sorry," Alice whined.

I opened the door and gave her the evil eye.

"I forgot my coffee."

"Since when have you been a coffee drinker anyway?" I huffed. My sister generally didn't need any type of help with energy.

"Since there wasn't much sleep in our hotel room last night either."

"Ugh. Too much information." The thought of my Alice having sex with anyone was gross, even if she was married.

"The walls at the beach house are thin, Edward. You'll see."

Bella laughed as she grabbed my sister's coffee and brought it to the door. "Here you go."

She was blushing and I wasn't sure if it was from our almost kiss or the things my sister said. What I was sure of was that I was going to have to spend the entire weekend with my shirt untucked or everyone would see exactly how she made me feel. Fuck. I discreetly adjusted myself as I stood behind the door, then cleared my throat and raised an eyebrow at Alice.

"Oh. Right," she giggled, "I'll see you in a while."

She waved at Bella and left again. By the time I grabbed a change of clothes from my suitcase Bella was coming out of the bathroom with her hairdryer and a small bag.

We spent the remaining time in the room gracefully dancing around each other as we finished getting ready. Something about Bella stripped me of everything I knew about women and made all of my previous experiences meaningless.

I caught myself paused in the middle of pulling my sock on as I listened to her humming while she brushed her hair out. I don't know how long I sat there lost in my thoughts, watching her. She was beautiful and graceful in her simple movement.

I was suddenly anxious for her to meet my mother, but my nerves were for an altogether different reason than they were when I started this charade. It was no longer about fooling my mother. I wanted her to like Bella as much as I did.

She caught me looking at her in the mirror and grinned. "Ready?"

"Yeah, just getting my shoes on."

I slipped my loafers on and gathered our bags before we stepped into the hallway. The door closed behind us, ending our first night together, and she took my hand. We walked together to the elevator, and my heart beat a little faster.

We could do this. And this was so much more than either of us originally thought.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

The drive to the beach was mostly uneventful. Somehow I'd ended up in the front seat with Jasper while Bella and Alice rode in the back together. I found myself frequently glancing over my shoulder at Bella to make sure she was alright. She and my sister were both fine though. They spent the ride giggling and talking, occasionally having quick conversation with Jasper and me, but for the most part I didn't know what they discussed. Bella never looked panicked or upset, so I had to assume that Alice hadn't grilled her too hard.

As we got closer to the beach house I watched Bella's expression begin to change as she took in the scenery. We were in heavy traffic even though the city was long gone, but the landscape was full of greens and blues. The fresh salt air slowly filled the car and Bella met my gaze with a huge grin on her face.

"Are we there yet?" she joked, her eyes full of mischief.

Alice giggled. "Yeah, how much farther, Jasper?"

"Not much farther," he called back to them in a goofy sing song voice.

"About half an hour, depending on traffic," Alice murmured.

The time seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. One minute we were teasing Jasper about his driving, the next he was pulling into the driveway behind the beach house.

"Holy. Crap." Bella stretched each word, her face full of amazement. "You only live here in the summer?"

"Sometimes only on weekends," Alice shrugged.

I watched Bella, a little afraid of what she was thinking, as we climbed out of the car and started to unload our bags. .

"It's gorgeous. I guess I didn't realize it was actually on the beach... like, literally; I thought we had to walk to it or something."

"Yeah, the Platt's didn't do anything halfway," Jasper laughed, referring to my grandparents excess. "Despite the fact I know exactly what beachfront property is worth here, I just have to think of this like any other summer getaway or I'll make myself sick. I mean, I grew up staying at roadside motels when we traveled. The idea of a summer home of any size was completely nuts to me when I met Alice." He patted Bella on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Esme's awesome. Everyone is really casual. Don't be afraid to sit on anything, or worry that you're going to break something. Emmett is like a bull in a china shop, he breaks something every day."

Bella sighed and gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Jasper."

There had been a brief second where I wanted to pull his hand off her, but I knew he was just helping her calm down in a way that only another outsider could do. I'd tried to tell her how relaxed things were at the beach, but it was good for her to hear it again.

We carried our bags to the house and Alice opened the front door, calling out to our parents. My father's Mercedes was the only car in the drive, so my brother either hadn't arrived yet or someone had made a run into town.

"In here!" my mom called, and we all turned our heads to the kitchen.

She wore tennis gear with her hair pulled back into a neat ponytail, as she mixed a batch of cocktails. It was classic Esme.

"Did you have a good drive?" she asked over her shoulder as she put a bottle of vodka back in the freezer.

"No problems," Jasper answered, dropping the luggage in the entryway. Alice and Jasper automatically went to the kitchen to join her. I put an arm around Bella and we followed.

"Mom, I want you to meet Bella." She was tense, so I made sure to keep my hand on the small of her back, rubbing lightly.

"Yes, hello! Let me look at you... Oh Edward, she's beautiful." She glanced over at me quickly then went back to assessing Bella. "I heard you met Carlisle last evening. I must say, he's quite smitten." She took Bella's hands in hers before pulling her into a hug, squeezing her the way only a mother could. "Well, I'm not thrilled that I'm practically the last to meet you," she laughed, "but welcome to our home and, more than that, welcome to the family."

My mother stroked her thumb across the Claddagh ring on Bella's ring finger before hugging her. She gave me a pointed look over Bella's shoulder, and I knew she would give me an earful.

I wanted to roll my eyes, but I resisted. My mother would have reached over and smacked the side of my head if I did. Again with the ring. It was getting annoying. And it was clear that I was going to have to tell Bella something. There was no way she'd missed everyone's reactions to her ring.

My mother stepped back and put her hands on Bella's cheeks, looking into her eyes with a grin. "We have so much to talk about this weekend! But I'll let you get settled."

"Mom." I stepped in to distract her and let her hug me tightly as well.

She gave me a tight squeeze before planting a kiss on my forehead. Her eyes were glassy, which any other time I might have attributed to the vodka, but her quick glance at Bella let me know it was more than that.

"I'm so glad you're here. Thank you for bringing her to meet us. I'm sorry if you felt pressured. I just want you to be happy."

"I know, mom. It's alright. We're really happy. I can't wait for all of you to get to know her." And I couldn't wait to take our things upstairs before she guilted me into admitting something I shouldn't.

We'd been whispering, so I wasn't entirely sure how much anyone else had heard, but Alice was wiping her eyes. She had an arm around Bella, so they'd probably heard it all. Jesus. Bella made me into a nervous twelve year old and my mother turned me into an guilt ridden emo wimp.

"Holla!" Emmett's voice boomed through the house as he threw the front door open. "Emmett Cullen in da house!"

I rolled my eyes as he came into the kitchen carrying a large cooler. "Emmett, no one talks like that."

I wasn't purposely being a dick. It was just how my brother and I communicated, by taking digs at each other.

"Yeah?" He set the cooler on the counter and turned to me with a look that said 'game on.' "Well I heard No One got engaged, so I'm hoping he won't be a total prick all weekend since he's getting laid."

"Emmett Daniel!" my mom yelled and smacked the back of his head.

"He started it!" He laughed and pointed at me. "Why aren't you slapping him?"

"You're a father, I have higher expectations of you," she huffed.

"You're full of crap, ma!"

Emmett laughed even harder and picked mom up in a bear hug. She smacked his shoulder with one hand and yelled something about not spilling her cocktail.

I took a step behind Bella and put my arms around her, resting my chin on her shoulder to watch. She squeezed my hands and laughed at the chaos that was fairly normal at the beach house. Actually, it was fairly normal anywhere my family was.

When Emmett finally put mom down he turned back to me. "Oooh ho! What do we have here? Is this No One's fiancée?" He stood a little straighter and, though I didn't know what he was up to, I chuckled a little in Bella's ear to let her know he meant no harm. "Tell me, how do you put up with this stiff prick?"

I could see the blush climbing up Bella's neck but she didn't miss a beat with her come-back. "I put up with his stiff prick quite well, thanks."

My mom spit out her precious cocktail as Alice and Jasper howled with laughter. Emmett, however, stood there shocked.

"You walked right into that, bro," I laughed before I gave Bella a squeeze and kissed her on the temple.

He shook his head and laughed, then grabbed one of Bella's hands and kissed the back of it. "I'm Emmett, and I might be in love with you."

"I'm Bella, and I might be nice to you."

"Dude," he looked at me. "I have no idea what this girl sees in you, but she's a keeper."

Everyone seemed to feel the need to tell me that. Did they think I didn't know? She was the best thing that had happened to me in years.

I finally realized that the rest of his family was missing. "Where are Rose and the kids?"

"I dropped them off with dad at Riley's on my way to the store. They're on a treasure hunt."

Alice laughed. "Ri lost his keys in the sand?"

"Yup," he nodded and grabbed a beer from the cooler. "Happens every summer. I swear I'm getting him one of those janitor key chains so he can strap them to his belt."

Conversation turned to Riley's barbecue and other plans for the weekend. My family talked around us for a minute because Bella and I weren't entirely sure what we were doing. After a few minutes my mom offered Bella a cocktail and a tour of the house. Bella glanced over her shoulder with a little wave, and they disappeared with Alice into the living room.

"She's feisty. I like her," Emmett told me, pointing his beer towards Bella's retreating back.

"Yeah. I like her too. I just hope mom and Alice don't drive her crazy this weekend." It was the truth, they just had no idea what I really meant.

Jasper slapped my back and handed me a beer. "They have a wedding to plan, it's like blood in the water to your mother and Alice. Just wait til Rose gets here."

I nodded and sipped my beer. I may have underestimated how much involvement my family would want in planning a wedding.

"I hope your girl is up to the challenge."

From all that I'd seen of Bella so far she could handle it. I had a feeling that I was the weak link, and I was terrified that someone was going to call me out.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**AN:**

So, they're putting on a good show so far... but how long can they keep it up?

Thanks for reading! See you in two weeks!

Pics:

I like to visualize stuff as I write, so this is the house I found that I'm kind of imagining as the beach house...though we're all going to pretend there's a pool and hot tub on the deck. Okay?

www . homeaway . com (backslash) vacation-rental (backslash) p368047

Fic recs, if you give two hoots about what I'm reading. LOL

Right now I'm loving **Deep in the Heart** by amoredjenaue and **Coming Home** by Sarge's Girls.

Aw what the hell, here are the descriptions – (They are all works in progress.)

**Deep in the Heart:** Edward Masen thought he left Texas long ago. But when his family's ranch faces ruin, he returns to the only place he has ever called home. Will a big city accountant be able to help him save the ranch? Or will she help him discover something much deeper?

**Coming Home:** School teacher Bella sends a care package and letter to Army sergeant Edward, who is stationed in Afghanistan. They begin a relationship through letters, phone calls, and video chats. There's love, there's language, and there's adult situations, plus a strong, independent Bella and the Edward we all know and love.


	9. Rose is a Rose is a Rose is a Rose

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 9:** *Rose is a Rose is a Rose is a Rose

**Warning/Disclaimer:**I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N: **Thank you so much to everyone for reading and dropping me a review or comment! I'm so glad you all are enjoying these two fakers, who aren't faking it all that much anymore.

Thanks, **SydneyGen** and **Seastarr08**! I know you girls are busy, and I appreciate your time to look this over and point out my idiotic mistakes. Love you girls!

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

"And now for my favorite part of the tour," Esme sighed happily.

"What's that?" I asked as she led us back to the kitchen.

Alice giggled. "The part where she makes us all drinks and we sit on the deck."

"Oh!" I laughed. "Well, I don't know if it's my favorite part, but it sounds great. You have a lovely home, Esme."

She wrinkled her nose as she poured our drinks from the pitcher. "It's still a work in progress. I update something every summer."

If the Cullen's summer house was a work in progress I'd like to see one of her finished projects, because their home was pretty amazing. It wasn't overly styled so you felt like you couldn't touch anything or sit down. The shabby-chic style leaned heavily towards chic, anchored with classic antique furniture. It was well lived in and comfortable. I was surprised by how at home I felt.

Alice and her mother had given me a lovely tour of the house, and asked surprisingly few questions about Edward and me. I wasn't stupid enough to think they weren't coming, but I'd been impressed with their restraint, especially Alice since I'd already seen her in action.

Esme handed me a glass of her Italian lemonade, which was actually Limoncello, vodka and lemonade. It was good—potent—but good. She and Alice led me to the deck and I stood between them at the rail looking out at the beach.

I couldn't help but smile as I watched Edward with Emmett and Jasper. They joked and laughed as they tossed a football back and forth, and occasionally one of them would run down the beach for a long pass.

"And the holiday begins," Alice chuckled. "That is one of the first things they do every year."

Esme nodded. "It always starts out friendly, but then they end up playing keep away."

Jasper was the smallest of the three, though small wasn't really a word I would use to describe him at all. Edward was tall and fit while Emmett was just big in general. In comparison Jasper was tall and lean, a basketball player to the Cullen's football and wrestling physiques. I was sure the brothers ganged up on him, and I smiled as I imagined it.

"Does Jasper always end up in the middle?"

"No," Alice said, choking on her laughter, "Emmett's always in the middle."

"Oh, wow!" I chuckled, thinking about how funny he would look as monkey-in-the-middle.

The sliding door opened, and I looked over my shoulder to see a gorgeous blond woman coming out onto the deck. She had a bottle of beer in one hand and a baby on her hip. Edward had shown me pictures of his family and I recognized them as Emmett's wife Rosalie and their youngest, Peter.

"Hey, ladies!" she called as she made her way over to us.

Esme met her halfway and reached for the baby. "Where are the girls?"

"They wanted to stay at Ry's with dad. He'll bring them all home for dinner."

"Okay. How's my favorite grandson? Does he need anything?"

"He's your only grandson, and if you can get him to fall asleep I'll love you forever."

Esme chuckled. "That's what grandmas are for."

She excused herself, taking Peter and her cocktail inside the house. Rosalie took a swig of her beer and turned to me with a slight nod.

"You must be Bella. I'm Rose."

"Hi." I raised my hand in hello, suddenly very anxious.

She looked me up and down slowly and I felt like I was under a microscope. I was a little shocked that Edward's sister-in-law made me more uncomfortable than anyone else in his family, but she was intense.

"What do you do?"

"I'm a teacher. Middle school math. Edward said you're a dental hygienist."

"I used to be." She shrugged. "Now I'm a fulltime mom and keeper of that monster." She pointed her beer towards Emmett on the beach.

"I imagine he keeps you busier than three kids."

"That's for sure." She laughed, but still didn't smile.

Alice's cell phone rang and she excused herself, moving to sit in one of the chairs on the other side of the pool.

Rose and I continued to watch the boys playing ball. If I thought her questions were finished at that point I was seriously mistaken.

She leaned her elbows on the railing and turned her face towards me. "You have brothers and sisters?"

"Nope, just me." I stayed standing straight up. There was something about her that wouldn't let me relax. I felt like I needed to be able to run at a moments notice.

"What do your parents do?"

"My dad's a cop. The chief in our small town, actually. I don't really keep in touch with my mom."

She nodded and sipped her beer, still looking at me like she thought I was going to steal the silver.

"How far along are you?"

"Excuse me?" I managed, shocked. I'd anticipated this reaction from someone... but not like this. I figured there would be whispering and finger pointing, but not blatant accusations.

"You're pregnant, aren't you? There's no way Edward would get engaged during his residency unless you were pregnant. Are you just after the money?"

"What? No. I'm not pregnant, and I didn't even know about the money. I mean, obviously the Cullen's are wealthy, but I don't know what they're worth. Any of them."

She huffed disbelief. "I'm not buying it."

"Buying what?" I tried to hide the anxiety pulsing through my body.

"The engagement. It's a joke."

I stiffened in shock and heard Alice gasp from behind me. "Rosalie!"

"What? Something stinks in Denmark," she grumbled, completely slaughtering the Hamlet quote, but I knew better than to correct her.

"Just because Edward got engaged quickly doesn't mean Bella is pregnant or a gold digger." Alice stood beside shaking her head at her sister in law. "She drank with us last night, and right now," she held up the pitcher of Esme's lemonade she had retrieved from the kitchen, "so I'm hoping she's not pregnant. And she's not a gold digger. I mean, look at how she dresses—sorry Bella—she doesn't care about the money."

Rose glanced at my Gap khaki shorts and Target striped t-shirt and snorted. She might not have known the stores they came from, but they were clearly not up to her or Alice's standards.

"Now," Alice's voice was just shy of condescending, "tell Bella you're sorry so the three of us can be great friends."

I looked at Alice like she was nuts. And I was pretty sure she was.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and turned to me. She definitely looked more pissed off than apologetic. "You're sure you're not pregnant and roping him into this?"

I knew I couldn't tell her that Edward and I hadn't had sex, ever, yet, whatever. Instead I did some weird hand over my heart thing swearing that I wasn't trapping Edward into marriage.

"No, I promise. I'm not pregnant, and it's not about the money. It's about Edward. Just him. I swear."

She glared at me for a few seconds before turning back towards the beach. "I love Edward like a brother, you know? This family is all rainbows and sunshine sometimes; you can't blame me for trying to be the voice of reason."

I had a feeling it was the closest thing to an apology I was going to get so I nodded. "Of course."

"No hard feelings."

Right. I nodded again. She was nuts too if she thought I wasn't affected by her assumptions and disdain.

Alice rolled her eyes at Rosalie before putting her arm around me. "I'm sorry," she whispered, giving me a squeeze. "She means well."

I gave her a tight smile. I knew she was right, and I knew she meant well too, but I felt overwhelmed. I wasn't sure what had possessed me to think Edward and I could pull this off.

We refreshed our drinks and made our way down to the beach with some towels to sit on the sand. The change in location helped break the tension. I was still uncomfortable with Rosalie, but Alice was trying to make me feel better. She made small talk and drew both Rose and I into conversation as if nothing had happened. I participated a little, but mostly I listened as they told me funny stories about the family.

Our eyes were mostly on the boys as we talked. They were still throwing the football and joking around. Occasionally, they would look over at us with a smile or wave. At one point Edward winked at me and my stomach flipped a little with excitement while I blushed.

Alice laughed at us. "You two are so cute. You have no idea how jealous you're going to make some women this weekend."

Rose snorted and though it was in agreement, I knew it wasn't approving. "Ry said Maggie and her friends would be out for the weekend. I'm sure they were planning to stalk Edward."

"Maggie is Riley's wife?" I tried to remember the details of their family tree, but I didn't think Edward had ever told me about Riley's family.

Rose looked at me for a second like she was trying to figure out if I was serious. "No, Maggie is Ry's step-daughter."

This didn't ringing any bells. "How old is she?"

"He didn't tell you about Riley?" She seemed incredulous. "What the fuck? Do you two talk at all?"

I was screwed.

"Rose, knock it off." Alice stood and brushed some sand off her shorts as the guys approached. "Riley's a touchy subject for Edward, and you know it."

What the hell did that mean? We were never going to fool her. There were too many back stories and details that I knew nothing about. Edward and I could never have prepared for everything that could come up over the weekend.

"Hey!" Rose stood and wrapped herself around Emmett, kissing him deeply.

Jasper pulled Alice into his arms and their bodies molded together. The conversation was officially over.

Edward sat down next to me, his arm brushing mine. He grinned at me and stole my drink, finishing it in a gulp.

"We're heading in," Emmett laughed. "Later, fools!"

"Jazzy, walk on the beach with me?" Alice was already walking towards the water, pulling him behind her and he just laughed.

"Of course, baby." He looked over his shoulder and nodded at Edward and me. "See you in a while."

"We'll be here," Edward told him as he put an arm around me.

Rose and Emmett made their way back towards the house while Alice and Jasper began to walk along the shore.

"Getting to know the girls?" Edward leaned closer, running a hand over my knee.

I shivered at the feel of his touch and held myself back from turning towards him and running my hands over his naked chest. He was sweaty and gorgeous and so fucking tempting. But there were things to talk about and appearances to keep. Then again, I thought of the other two couples and bit back a laugh— judging from the way they practically made out on the beach, I didn't have anything to worry about the dirty thoughts I was having about Edward.

"I have no idea what you're thinking," he whispered, pushing some of my hair over my shoulder, "but the look on your face is fucking sexy."

He placed a soft kiss below my ear and sat back. Everything I wanted to say to him seemed to fizzle out. All I could think about was grabbing his hand and running back to the beach house to barricade ourselves in his bedroom.

"Everything okay with Rose? You two looked serious on the deck."

I closed my eyes and flopped back onto the beach with a groan, not caring about how difficult it would be to get the sand out of my hair.

Edward stretched out next to me laughing and propped himself on his elbow. "What does that mean?"

I opened my eyes and gave him a hard look. "It means she thinks I'm a pregnant gold digger, and she can't understand why I don't know more about your extended family."

"What?" he laughed again, and he had the balls to smile. It wasn't funny.

"I'm not joking. She asked me when I was due."

His face grew serious to match mine, finally. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"I just told you I wasn't."

He made a move to stand and I grabbed his arm. "Don't. She wants to cause problems. I think she's testing us."

"Ya think?" he huffed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Bella. I knew she'd be protective, she's like that with all of us, but to assume you're pregnant—and a gold digger? That's bullshit."

"That's kind of what I thought, but I know you're right. She's just trying to look out for you." I sighed and turned on my side to face him. "I can't let it bother me. Besides, I don't think it's really about me. She doesn't know me. Or us. She would have made those accusations no matter who you brought home."

We lay still, gazing at each other for a few seconds. It was easy to get lost when I looked at him, and the gorgeous beach background made him even more distracting. The sun made the gold flecks in his eyes stand out and the copper in his hair was just a little brighter.

He ran a finger down the bridge of my nose and grinned. "You've got a few freckles from being in the sun."

"Yeah?" I chuckled. "I should have grabbed a hat."

His fingers played with my hair. "Please don't worry about Rose. She'll chill out. She just needs to see that I'm serious about you."

My breath caught a little at his words. Everything between us was so blurry. The fake engagement was still there, but there were real feelings seeping in. "And are you, serious about me?"

"Yes," he whispered, leaning forward to give me a gentle kiss. "More serious than I could have imagined."

I closed my eyes, letting his words wash over me. It would have been easy to let him pull me into his arms and hold me or kiss me, or do whatever he wanted, but we still needed to talk. Biting my lip, I opened my eyes and sighed.

"Can I ask a question?"

"Of course. What's wrong?" he asked, looking nervous.

"Nothing's wrong. Rose just said something that I didn't understand and I probably should." I took his hand and tangled our fingers together. "Why is Riley a touchy subject for you?"

"Wow." His eyes got big and he shook his head. "That's not what I expected. How did that come up?"

"She said Maggie was coming out for the weekend with her friends. Apparently she's not Ry's wife."

"No," he laughed and smiled sadly, "but she'd make a better wife for him than her mother."

"See, I don't get it." I shook my head. "What's that about?"

Edward sighed and sat up, pulling his hand from mine to hug his knees.

I found myself doing the same thing, but I watched him while his eyes focused on the horizon.

"It's a long story."

"I've got all weekend."

He laughed and ran his hands through his hair again. "Alright. Emmett is three years older than me and Ry, and Alice is three years younger than us, okay?" I nodded. "Riley's an only child and his mom, my dad's sister, died when he was ten. Lung cancer. It was rough. His dad got married when we were in high school. They were never close, but his new wife is a total bitch. That doesn't really matter, though. Anyway, Ry's always been sort of an extra brother, and since we were the same age... we were best friends. We did everything together. We went to college together, and were supposed to go to med school together... but everything got crazy."

He seemed lost in thought and I still didn't understand, so I quietly prompted him to continue. "What happened?"

"Riley got married over Christmas our senior year of college." He shook his head. "It wasn't that he got married that was fucked up, though. It was _who_ he married."

My stomach sank. What if Riley married one of Edward's ex-girlfriends? That was just wrong. There had to be some kind of bro-code that said you didn't do that. My thoughts started to get away from me, imaging horrible scenarios where the cousins fought over Riley's new wife. When I looked up Edward was smirking slightly and chuckling at me.

"Not that. He married our frat brother Randall's mom. It was a crazy, spur of the moment, fly to Vegas thing, and then they came home and dropped the bomb on everyone. I was selfish at first, you know? Thinking all of my plans with Ry were ruined, but that wasn't the worst of it. As time went by we found out that Charlotte only married him to make her ex jealous because he'd married some young model.

"About six months in she realized that her ex wasn't jealous at all, and she tried to kick Ry to the curb. I mean seriously, she changed the locks on their condo and told him to get the fuck out. Ry was devastated. He'd actually fallen for her, and she wanted nothing to do with him anymore. She moved to California and left him here on his own. Eventually she had to give him new keys and everything so he wasn't homeless, but she just... left.

"He changed after that. I don't know how to explain it, but he's bitter and angry that she derailed all of his plans to get back at someone. He didn't graduate with our class. He didn't go to med school. He wanted kids, and he feels like she gypped him out of that. Randall's the same age as us and Maggie's Alice's age. It's nuts."

"They didn't get divorced?"

"He refuses to file, says she owes him for everything he gave up, and she's too lazy to do it. They go to charity events together a couple times a year when she's in New York, but that's it. I don't even pretend to understand."

"And you and Ry aren't friends anymore?"

"Not like we used to be. I tried, but... maybe he's jealous? I think he sees me as what could have been. God, I sound so conceited. I don't know. It's just not the same. I can't relate to his life. We don't have much in common anymore, you know?"

I nodded. It made sense. It was sad and pretty fucked up, but I understood. What I didn't understand was the family's excitement over Riley's cookout if things were strained. "We don't have to go to his party." I offered. "We can do something else."

He shook his head and smiled sadly. "No, his cookout is really the only time I see him now. It's weird, but it's like old times. It's always the same; swimming and fireworks, throwing Alice in the pool and letting Esme mix strong drinks. The beach is sort of a constant, even if he stays at Charlotte's big ass house instead of his dad's."

"I'm so sorry, Edward. I can't imagine if something like that came between me and Ang."

He shrugged. "It's not your fault."

It wasn't my fault, but that didn't mean I couldn't feel sorry or sad for them. Edward rubbed my Claddagh and smiled. It was sweet, but at the moment it made wonder how Riley felt about our news. "Do you think he's upset that you're engaged?"

"Maybe." He slid his arm around me and rubbed my back. "But he'd never let you know that. Please don't worry about it. Or anything else, everything will be fine."

I sighed. "Edward, Rose is already suspicious. At some point all of this is going to come to a head."

"She's not suspicious, she's cautious, there's a difference."

I wasn't sure about that.

"Besides," he continued, bringing a hand up to cup my cheek, "we don't need her approval. Everyone else already loves you. That's all that matters."

He leaned forward and kissed me. My arms went around him and all of my worries dropped away. Our kiss was sweet and promising as his words echoed in my head.

"_Everyone else already loves you." _

Was he everyone? I hoped he was, because, even though it scared the hell out of me, I probably loved him too.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N: **

Thanks so much for reading!

I'm not even going to pretend like it will be faster than two weeks. The 4th of July is coming and *hopefully* I'll crank some stuff out while I have a couple days off. That's my plan at least.

"Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose" is from the poem _Sacred Emily_ by Gertrude Stein, 1913

Since some of you seemed to enjoy fic recs, here's what I've been reading to procrastinate work:

**Catch my Breath **by tanglingshadows - new fic, only 4 chapters so far. Super cute! - Once upon a time, a quirky woman barreled into a soft-spoken man's life and turned it upside down. Not that he complained about it...

**By the Numbers** by Cars1 (WIP - 27 chapters tho) Oh my god - this geek/number/ward is so dorky and annoyingly adorable! - Five people take a trip to Alaska. One hike to a hot spring and everything changes. Two people find something they never expected. Sometimes spontaneous is a good thing.

**Tomorrow is Another Day **by LyricalKris (complete) - I'm a sucker for Civil War romances... especially with couples from opposing sides...*swoon* - In the post Civil War South, there are consequences for a Northern man who falls for a Southern Belle. A story of a friendship ripped apart by war, and rebuilding your life after near total devastation.


	10. One Down

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 10: One Down**

**Warning/Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N: **Okay kids, here's chapter 10. It was a hard one to write, though I have no idea why. I struggled with it so much I just kept closing the doc and trying to do something else so I wouldn't stress out about it... which also means I didn't do review replies and now I'm kicking myself because I can't even begin to get them done if I want to update on time. So - thank you. All of you. Everyone who reads, reviews, alerts, favorites, tweets - whatever. Your interest in what I have to say keeps me motivated. Thank you.

Big thanks again to** NicFicWhisperer** for recommending this story on The Lemonade Stand last week for Fic of the Week. We didn't win again but, damn, it's such an honor to even be on the list.

Thanks to **Seastarr08** and **SydneyGen** for being great betas and cheerleaders, for introducing me to grammar correction technology (WTF, Gen? Kids today are spoiled!LOL), and letting me whine, bitch and giggle at all hours of the day and night.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Sitting on the beach with Bella I wondered what else I needed to tell her to prepare her for the weekend. I'd thought that we'd done a good job covering things before the trip, but clearly I was wrong.

"So, Maggie?" she asked.

"What about her?" Jesus. What had she talked about with Rose and Alice?

"She's not going to like that you're engaged?"

"_We're _engaged," I laughed. "It's not just me."

She pushed my arm. "I know that, dork."

I groaned when I realized I actually had to tell her about Ry's stepdaughter. "Maggie is a pain in the ass; that's about it. She and her friends are bitchy socialites looking for husbands."

"I'm guessing they have certain criteria these potential husbands have to meet," she giggled.

"Yes. Money and the potential to make more."

"I bet they love you," she snorted before clapping her hand over her mouth. "Sorry."

"Don't be, if I didn't live in Seattle I'd be their wet dream, they've been campaigning to get me to move back east."

"Seattle's not good enough for them?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Is it New York?" She shook her head. "Then no, it's not good enough."

"So, they chase after you every summer? This is like, an annual thing?"

I threw my head back laughing. Bella was amazing. She took everything in stride. "Yes, it's the annual husband hunt, if you will, and I am generally a target."

She giggled. "I feel kind of bad, ruining their fun."

"Don't," I rolled my eyes. "Maybe this year I'll actually enjoy the party instead of spending the entire time making sure I'm turned so no one can stare at or grab my ass."

"Aw," she said sweetly, leaning in and cupping my cheek. "I'll protect your fine ass."

"Just my ass? I thought you'd be my bodyguard," I teased.

She nodded, her eyes holding mine. "You're all mine, not just your ass."

I stared at her for a moment, the light hearted joking had somehow become serious, much like our entire relationship.

I licked my lips. "Don't tease."

"Never." She shook her head and kissed me and, good lord, she could kiss.

My father found us then, wrapped up in each other and oblivious to everything else. He told us that my mother had dinner ready and asked us to head into the house. Once inside I introduced Bella to Rosalie and Emmett's twins, Bree and Katie. They were four and were adorable, charming Bella right off the bat.

"You're uncle Edward's fence," Bree said right away with a nod at Bella, proud of what she thought was her use of a grown-up word.

"Fiancée," I whispered in her ear, laughing.

"That's what I said," she whisper-yelled back and rolled her eyes. She was more like her mother every time I saw her. She turned back to Bella, still acting like her know-it-all self. "That means you're getting married to Edward and Jesus. Are you going to wear a princess dress like Cinderella?"

Bella ignored the Jesus comment without even a laugh, which was really impressive. "Do you think I should? I haven't picked out a dress yet."

Bree nodded emphatically. "And you should wear a crown."

"What do you think Katie?"

"My mommy has a crown you can borrow, but she won't let us play with her poofy dress. It's in a big box at nana's."

Bella smiled sweetly despite the fact that I was pretty sure hell would freeze over before she borrowed anything from Rose. "That's very nice. Maybe your mommy will help me shop for my dress."

"Rose can come with us, but I picked out her dress!" Alice called from the kitchen.

"There's free champagne at the store Alice likes. I'll come for that." Rose shrugged, and I wanted to kick her ass for being such a bitch to Bella.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Dinner was harrowing, yet uneventful. I anxiously waited for one of my family to trip her up with a question. Alice and mother made idle small talk with Bella and Rose while Emmett drew my father, Jasper and I into talk about baseball and the new car he was considering.

Bella sat next to me, and it felt natural for her to be there. She fit in well with everyone in my family, except for Rose, but that was just Rose being standoffish. She wasn't really the bitch she came off as. She was opinionated and didn't feel the need to sugar coat things. She also thought that my family was too trusting. Growing up, her parents drank most of the grocery money each week and gambled away her college savings. Trust didn't come easy for her, but once she knew and trusted you, she would protect you at all costs. I knew she and Bella could be friends if they got to know each other. In the meantime, I planned on talking with her about the way she treated Bella, but the over dinner was not the time or place.

When the meal finished I wanted nothing more than to escape to the bedroom with Bella. Talking with my family had been nice, but she and I needed to continue getting to know each other. I'd let Bella down by not telling her more about my past with Riley and that couldn't happen again.

Before I could whisk Bella away, Emmett announced that he'd started a bonfire in the copper firepit on the deck. Once we got outside Alice and Jasper stretched out under a light blanket, and Rose sat on Emmett's lap. Peter had fallen asleep, and my parents insisted on putting the twins to bed, so that left just Bella and I to find seats around the fire.

Bella hesitated for a second standing between two lounge chairs, and I realized that she wasn't sure where, or more specifically how, we should sit. I took her hand and gently pulled her back with me as I settled into a chair so she could sit between my legs and lean her back against my chest. There were any number of less intimate ways we could have sat, but I was afraid that if I adh a view of her face it would be the only thing I looked at all night. There was something about the way her emotions played across her features that I couldn't resist.

She shifted against me, settling in, and I moved her hair out of the way before resting my chin on her shoulder.

"You okay?" I whispered quiet enough so she was the only one who heard me.

She nodded brought her hands up to cover mine.

"Bella, we're so glad you're here." Alice beamed at us. "We haven't seen Edward this happy in a long time."

"Or like, ever," Emmett chimed in and I wanted to hide under a rock.

Bella laughed and squeezed my hands. "I'm glad to be here and, really, Edward makes me pretty happy, too."

I didn't know what to say to that without sounding completely whipped. I had to let her know how much it meant to me, so I kissed her temple. She sighed and leaned her head against mine.

"So what would you be doing in Seattle if you weren't here?" Alice asked.

I thought it was an odd question, but I had to admit I was curious to hear Bella's answer. I also really appreciated Alice's attempts to get to know her. She was non-threatening and curious.

"Well," she laughed, "my best friend Angela and I would probably watch movies and eat Ben and Jerry's while Edward was at work." I kind of loved that she assumed that if she was in Seattle I would be there too.

"You don't go out to watch fireworks?" Alice followed-up. She loved fireworks, she oohed and ahed with the kids every year.

"If I don't go back home to Forks for the weekend, then no. I've gone to the big display in Seattle a couple of times, but it's kind of like what I'd imagine it's like at New Year's in Time's Square, you know? A bunch of drunk people and very few bathrooms? Then throw in a few thousand kids who are up past their bedtime... " She shook her head, then looked back and surprised the hell out of me. "I didn't think about it, but there's probably a good view from your condo."

I nodded. At least my neighbors said there was a good view. I'd either been working or in New York for all of the Fourths that I'd lived there.

She shrugged at Alice. "We'd probably watch from there."

Alice nodded and grinned. She was buying it—hook, line and sinker. It was perfect. Bella was perfect. She'd only been to my condo once. For her to come up with that? Yeah, I had no words.

"Well, like I said, we're glad you could join us. There's a good show here, and the view from Riley's place is great."

"I've heard a lot about this cookout." Bella laughed and squeezed my hands again, thinking about Maggie and her husband hunting friends I was sure. "I hope it lives up to its reputation."

"Oh man," Emmett groaned. "It's a blast. Last year Mags and her college friends went all _Girls Gone Wild_ after the old folks left."

I rolled my eyes. Maggie and her friends were obnoxious. I swear they didn't know how to take "No" for an answer. I was glad that Bella would be with me so they would leave me alone.

"They were nuts." Jasper shook his head. "Didn't a couple of them get arrested? Indecent exposure?"

I was mid-sip and choked on my beer. "Shit. I hadn't heard that."

"Oh yeah! You left with Randy to see a band." Rose shook her head. "They got out of control. Emmett tried to get video of it all for evidence," she made air-quotes and laughed, "but he was too drunk to hold the camera steady."

"What happened?" Bella laughed and stole my beer to take a sip.

Emmett's eyes lit up as he told us the story. "So, Mag's friends left Ry's and walked down the beach to a different party—a younger, more cool crowd, I guess. Anyway, they ended up shit faced and went skinny dipping, then some of the cool kids stole their clothes and they tried to walk home naked on the beach."

"I think someone gave them each a hand towel," Jasper added.

"Like that covered any of their silicone!" Em rolled his eyes. "It was perfect timing though because as they were coming up the beach with, like a hundred dudes following behind them, the beach patrol came by and flipped on a spotlight."

"Epic!" Bella laughed. "Did Maggie get arrested or just her friends?"

Emmett snorted a laugh. "Oh man, it was just her friends. I think Mags was hookin' up with some dude already."

Rose slapped his head. "You have no idea where she was."

He gave her a dirty look. "We're talking about Maggie. She's either following Edward around or hooking up with some random dude. Ed was at the bar, so..."

"So you still don't know where she was," Alice finished. Emmett looked surprised at her defense of Maggie, and she shrugged. "I just don't like you assuming she was hooking up."

"Right?" Rose agreed. "That's not cool, Emmett."

And because she was amazing Bella broke the tension by asking them to tell stories from our childhood. It was genius, really, admitting that there was so much she didn't know about me. My family jumped at the chance to humiliate me.

I was surprised that my mother didn't have some sort of radar that brought her running to embarrass me as well, but she didn't. She was probably waiting until she could show Bella the old photo albums and give her visuals to go along with the stories—like if she told Bella about my piano recital when I was ten she could show her the awful picture of me in the black suspenders and bow tie. Yeah. I might need to hide those albums.

A few beers later and Emmett was launching into a story about me and Riley getting caught sneaking out the beach house to meet up with some girls when we were fifteen.

I laughed as I stood up and took Bella's hand, pulling her up as well, "All right. Enough of let's make Edward look like a douche."

"Aw, come on, Edward! This has been fun!" Emmett laughed. "We didn't tell her about-"

"And you won't tonight," I laughed. "Goodnight everyone."

"G'night," Bella chuckled and put an arm around me, leaning into my side.

"Shopping in the morning?" Alice asked her.

Bella nodded. "I'll wear my walking shoes."

"Yay!"

We finished saying goodnight, and I led Bella into the house. The night had gone unbelievably well, and I was ready to settle in alone with her to decompress. She held my hand in both of hers, following me through the living room. We didn't see my parents, so they must have been in bed.

We climbed slowly up the stairs to the room we were sharing. I was a little surprised that my mother allowed us to share a room, but I suppose her desire for grandkids overrode any rules of propriety.

Bella closed the door behind us, and I turned to face her, pulling her into a hug. I'd spent most of the evening with her in my arms, but it didn't seem like nearly enough. I inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of her hair and letting the tension of the day roll away.

"We made it," she whispered against my chest.

"We did. You're amazing, you know that, right?"

"I'm exhausted." She sighed. "I really like your family, but I felt like I was on stage the entire time, like any minute I was going to get my lines wrong."

I put my hands on her shoulders, they were definitely tense. My fingers dug deep, massaging her muscles, and she groaned.

"You were great, though." I kissed her forehead and continued to rub her back. "I don't think we've given them anything to question us about. Well, aside from Rose's general skepticism."

"She's a piece of work." Bella chuckled, and her hands moved over my back. "And, apparently, you weren't exaggerating about Maggie."

I groaned and dropped my head to her shoulder.

"I am so sorry. This whole thing was a horrible idea, wasn't it?" I ran my hand through my hair and lifted my head to look her in the eye. "Should I come clean to my parents tomorrow? I can just tell them that I lied-"

She put three fingers over my lips, stopping me. "No. We're too far into this." She took a deep breath and licked her lips. "I mean, I think we know each other well enough to fool them. I know I was nervous earlier, but Rosalie just shook me up. We're doing great. No one is on to us."

"I don't know," I sighed, "there's so much more we should talk about."

She rolled her eyes. "We could talk all night, and we won't talk about the one thing Rosalie asks me about tomorrow morning."

"Bella," I said, trying to be serious.

"Edward," she mimicked and smiled.

I shook my head and tried not to smile, but I couldn't stop myself. "Are you sure?"

She nodded as she moved her lips closer to mine to kiss me. It started out sweet, as most of our kisses had, but before I knew what was happening we were making out hard core against the bedroom door. Bella's hands were under my shirt, running up and down my back, pulling me tight against her body. I had one hand in her hair and the other on her hip.

"You know, there is a bed in here," she managed through panting breaths as I kissed her neck and ran my nose along her collarbone.

"There is," I laughed kissing her jaw and looking into her eyes. I wasn't sure what she wanted to do on the bed, or really how far she wanted to go, but the thought of getting in bed with her was hot.

Her voice was low and seductive. "Have you ever had a girl in your bed here?"

"No," I said with a groan, and I really just wanted to throw her down on the mattress. "You're the first."

Her eyes got wider, and she licked her lips. "Shit, that's hot."

She had no idea. Or maybe she did. But seriously, the idea of having a hot girl in the bed that I'd grown up sleeping in every summer? That was the stuff of fantasies.

She lifted my shirt and I pulled it over my head, tossing it behind me. My hands moved to her shirt as well, but she beat me to it, slipping it off and grinning.

I kissed her hard, pressing my hips against her so she could feel just what she was doing to me.

Noises in the hall caught my attention, but I tried to ignore them. We weren't being loud so I figured everyone would pass by on the way to bed without incident. Of course, I was wrong.

"I bet they came upstairs to fuck." I heard Rose's voice right outside the door.

Bella and I both froze. We stood forehead to forehead listening. I was going to kill Rose, both for being a bitch and a cockblocker.

"So what if they did? It's not like you haven't had sex here, and what happened to not making assumptions?" Alice huffed.

"Bella's spunky. I bet she's a screamer." Emmett; fucking pervert. "Ow. Shit, Rose, that hurt." She must have hit him.

"I don't want to hear it, and I don't want to think about Edward's spunk. I just said that's probably what they're doing," Rose bitched again.

I was debating in my head whether or not to respond. Should I say something? Should I kiss Bella to distract her or let her know I didn't care what Rose had to say? It didn't matter though, because Bella was on it.

"We were about to fuck, but you've ruined the mood. Thanks, Rose."

Loud laughter boomed from the hallway for a second before they tried to quiet themselves down.

"Be quiet. Don't wake the kids," Emmett warned everyone then apologized for his wife. "Sorry, Bella."

I snorted. "What about me?"

"You're always sorry," Emmett laughed. "Burn!" Fucker.

There was another burst of laughter before I heard a couple of mumbled sorrys, footsteps scattering, and doors closing.

Bella snorted and dropped her head to my shoulder. "Your family is crazy."

"I'm going to kill them all."

She sighed and pulled her shirt back on. "I'm going to go brush my teeth."

I groaned as I sat on the bed and ran my hands through my hair. It was a shitty ending to a roller coaster of a day. I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the fact that even though the mood was ruined, Bella was going spend the night in my arms, even if it was only to sleep.

And first thing in the morning I would have words with my sister in law, that was for damn sure.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:**

So... Rose continues to seem like a bitch and Bella might have bigger balls than Edward. :)

Thanks so much for reading. I think I say this every week, but I'm so flattered that you all enjoy my words and keep coming back for more.

Up next, shopping with Alice and the start of the cookout. See you in two weeks!

Recs this week:  
><strong>The Space Between<strong> by KTCM (WIP - 20 chapters so far)  
>Bella seems to know what she's getting herself into when she meets Edward, who is substantially older than her. Age is just a number, right? The two of them try to navigate their way to happiness despite what others think.<p>

Quirky Rec - **The Gypsy Bride** - The Little Wise Owl  
>Bella, an American Gorgio, is introduced to the Gypsy lifestyle. Contains a very sexy, very British Edward. (I'm totally intrigued by the Gypsy life and this GypsyWard. This fic truly drabble. 41 chapters and only 4,600 words TOTAL)<p> 


	11. Awake My Soul

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 11:** **Awake My Soul**

**Warning/Disclaimer:**I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N: **Sorry if you missed me on the Fictionators this week. It's a long story including a migraine, an internet outage and a bitch at my office who pissed me off early Monday morning which all swirled together to make me miss the teaser deadline. I'll be back teasing in two weeks.

I rocked out the first half of review replies this time, then totally fell down on the job. If I didn't get back to you, thanks again for reading. I read all of your reviews and appreciate every one.

Thanks so much for sticking around for the story. I know some of you are tired of the slow burn, but we're getting there, I promise.

Thanks to **Greenabsinthia** for pre-reading in pinch this week. **Seastarr08** is moving this week and her life has been crazier than mine lately. As always, thanks to **SydneyGen** whose crazy comments and keen eye for detail make every chapter better.

"The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea."

-Isak Dinesen

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

A noise woke me, and I looked over to see Edward dressed in a pair of running shorts, and nothing else, as he opened the bedroom door.

"Hey," my voice was raspy with sleep and I had to clear my throat before I finished, "are you trying to sneak out on me?"

He chuckled and came over to the bed, squatting down so we were eye level. "Nope, just heading out for a run before it gets too warm."

"Okay," I said as I yawned and stretched. "Have fun."

"I didn't think you would want to join me."

I smiled and giggled. "See, you do know me. Nothing to worry about today."

He rolled his eyes. "Right. My parents are probably downstairs already drinking coffee and reading the paper if you want to join them. I should be back before you and Alice head out but if not, have a great time and don't let her try to talk you into buying anything you don't want."

"I won't."

"'Kay," he smiled, and I could tell he was thinking about scrapping his plan to run to climb back in bed with me, but maybe I only imagined that's what he was thinking because it was what I wanted him to do. "See you later."

"Later." I nodded, I didn't want him to see my disappointment, or confusion for that matter.

He leaned in and kissed my forehead before heading downstairs.

I didn't really want to get up, but I didn't want to stay in bed without Edward either. I rolled quickly to my other side and curled myself around his pillow. It smelled like him, and I took a deep breath, grinning like a fool. I thought about our run in with Rose through the door the night before. Her cockblocking seriously pissed me off. I didn't think we would have actually had sex, but that was beside the point since she completely ruined the mood.

What was developing between Edward and me was messed up on so many levels. I wanted him, good lord did I want him, but the timing was horrible with spending the entire weekend in his family's beach house. That and I was becoming increasingly worried about getting my heart broken, because it seemed like each breath of air I took filled my heart with a little more love for him.

I wanted to learn everything about him, to know him well enough to predict his reactions. I wanted it so badly that it terrified me, because I had no idea what would happen if his family found out we were faking it. I had a sinking suspicion that if the truth came out Edward would drop me like a hot potato to reconcile with them, because let's face it, they were amazing. That had been my revelation the day before—no matter how Edward and I grew to feel about each other, we'd pulled his entire family into our charade.

I don't know what I'd been expecting when I agreed to come to New York, but it hadn't been to be welcomed with open arms as I had been—for the most part. They were close, closer than any family I knew, and I couldn't imagine how much Edward missed them when he was in Seattle.

Over the years, I had wished for a family like his. Angela had a close family and they'd taken me in, but I never felt as if I belonged. I loved Charlie, he had done the best he could, but he had been a bachelor and I'd spent my teen years cooking and cleaning and raising myself. And my mother... for all intents and purposes, I didn't have one. But Edward did. He had great parents and TV sitcom siblings—even Rose, with her bitchtastic attitude. Every family had someone like that, the black sheep or the odd duck. The drug addict, criminal, ubergeek or pervert. Rose was the anomaly in the Cullen clan. I'd worked with enough teenagers with a chip on their shoulders to know she had a reason—one that might only make sense to her—but she had one.

If she'd been a friend or relative of almost anyone else I'd write her off, but she was Edward's so I would take a deep breath and deal with her. Okay, maybe I'd need a few cocktails, but I would be an adult about the situation and remember what Edward said—it didn't matter what Rose thought. I'd have to repeat that to myself when she got particularly irritating.

I glanced at the clock, and it was way too early to call Angela in Seattle. I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep, so I decided to get up and join Edward's parents.

By the time I'd showered and dried my hair I could hear others moving around the house. When I made it downstairs, I found the kids watching cartoons while Alice and Emmett were at the table with Esme and Carlisle. Jasper had gone running with Edward and Rose was still getting ready.

Esme got me a bowl of fresh cut fruit as I poured coffee. I took a seat next to Emmett and took a large sip from my mug. We talked quietly but mostly we shared the paper and let the caffeine work its magic.

Rose joined us after a while, and I gave myself the first pep-talk of the day.

_I will be the bigger person. Edward said it didn't matter what she thinks._

Alice giggled, and I was terrified.

"Oh my God," I whispered. "Did I say that out loud?"

"No. It was the look on your face." She shook her head before taking a drink of juice. "You looked like you ate a lemon."

"That's odd. I_ like_ lemons."

We were still laughing when Rose sat across from us with her coffee and bagel. She raised an eyebrow but thankfully didn't say anything before picking up part of the newspaper and ignoring me. We continued our quiet breakfast, and Rose was either not fully awake or on her best behavior because she kept to herself.

Esme and I were loading the dishwasher when Edward and Jasper made their way into the house. If I thought he had looked good before he left, it was only because I couldn't possibly fathom how hot he'd be after his run. His hair was crazier than usual, sweat beaded on his chest, his cheeks were pink, and his legs... they looked so long and powerful. I bit my lip, and he totally caught me checking him out.

"Hey, Swan," he smirked and laughed as he crossed the kitchen towards me.

My heart tripped a little at his use of my last name. It was kind of sweet.

"Good run?" I asked as he put his hands on my hips and leaned in to give me a quick kiss.

"I'm sweaty," he murmured, I assumed explaining why he didn't get any closer. "It was good. Jasper and I used to run a lot together."

"I love having all of my kids home," Esme sighed next to me, and we all chuckled.

"Rose," Edward said, his voice cutting through the smaller conversations going on at the table. "Got a sec?"

She nodded, and he grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. He angled his head towards the deck, and she followed him outside.

You could have heard a pin drop, or Rose's cold heart cracking. The brief silence around the table told me everyone understood what he wanted to speak to her about. I was mortified that he'd called her out so publicly in front of his whole family.

"Bella," Esme nudged my arm and handed me a stack of bowls to put in the dishwasher.

I took care of the dishes and put them in the bottom rack as I wondered how wrong it would be for me to stand at the window and watch Edward and Rose.

When I stood Esme was holding a towel towards me and smiling shyly. "I prefer to wash the wine glasses by hand. Would you mind drying?"

I wanted to throw my arms around her. She so wanted to keep an eye on them, as well!

"No problem." I grabbed the towel and watched Edward and Rose cross the deck to sit on the steps going down to the beach. Esme and I stood quietly together, waiting for the water to heat up. Seriously, Edward's mother was genius. She was doing everything she could think of to make our chore last as long as possible.

At first Edward and Rose appeared to sit comfortably together. I couldn't tell if they were talking or not, but they sat close together, with only a couple of inches between them on the step.

After only a few seconds, Rose became animated, or perhaps agitated, waving her arms and shaking her head. Edward tensed and ran his hand through his hair.

"You shouldn't be watching them," Carlisle's voice startled me, and I almost dropped the wine glass I was drying.

Esme shushed him as if we could hear anything that was being said outside. He was right, though, we shouldn't have been watching, but I didn't want to stop. I checked over my shoulder to see if Emmett and Alice were watching too, or if they agreed with their father.

"They're with the kids," Carlisle answered as if he read my mind. I noticed that he hadn't moved from behind Esme and me, still watching the muted drama on the deck.

Rose moved to stand, and Edward grabbed her wrist. I bit my lip, and Esme put her arm around me. Carlisle rested his hand on my shoulder.

"I heard about what she said to you," Esme whispered. "I'm so sorry. I don't really know why she's got such an attitude towards you. She can be very protective of us."

"That's what Edward said."

Carlisle squeezed my shoulder. "I'm sure she has a reason, though that doesn't make it okay."

I nodded and watched Edward shake his head at his Rose. She stood quickly and walked down to the beach without so much as a look over her shoulder at him. Edward put both hands in his hair, and Esme, Carlisle and I scattered.

I found Alice in her and Jasper's bedroom looking for her shoes. I sat on the bed and hoped Edward hadn't seen me dashing up the stairs.

"Ready for shopping?" she asked excitedly.

"I just need to grab my shoes and purse."

"Great! I think we'll just go ahead now. Rose doesn't much like shopping with me anyway, and after having words with Edward, she won't be in any mood for it."

"Oh, okay." What was I supposed to say to that? The words she'd had with Edward were about me. That wasn't awkward or anything.

Alice shook her head. "Don't let it get to you. It'll all be smoothed over by the time we get home."

I rolled my eyes doubting her optimism. I heard the shower down the hall turn on and guessed that it was Edward. While I wanted to know what was said between him and Rose, I didn't want to ambush him. I decided that we'd have time to talk after shopping and grabbed my things from our bedroom.

"Oh, I love those sandals! I can't wait to show you my favorite shops!"

I followed her down the stairs, and we were on our way.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

I don't think one could truly prepare for shopping with Alice. She was a whirlwind of fashion and design commentary, and she spent money like it was burning a hole in her pocket. Thankfully she didn't pressure me to buy anything, but I'd seen the sales girl put a blouse I loved into one of Alice's shopping bags, so I had no idea what she had purchased for me.

She also didn't ask much about my relationship with Edward. She had, however, asked me a million questions about my dream wedding and ideal wedding gown, not to mention did I want live music or DJ, seated meal with steak and salmon or steak and chicken, color palette or theme? I did the best I could, answering honestly for myself and telling her about things I thought Edward would like as well. It was bizarre, talking about our make believe wedding, but Alice had no idea it wasn't real. It was easy to get caught up in her enthusiasm, and I had to keep reminding myself not to get too excited, which was depressing. In the end, I distracted her with stories about my favorite thrift shops and independent stores in Seattle.

I was exhausted by the time we got home , and we still had Riley's barbecue to get through. Emmett and Jasper were in the kitchen eating sandwiches, but we didn't see anyone else as we carried in our, mostly Alice's, purchases.

"Damn, Alice, you buy one of everything?" Emmett teased.

"Nah," she laughed, "I left a few things for mom to buy tomorrow."

"Good thinking." Jasper came over and gave her a quick kiss. "You want me to carry this upstairs?"

"Thanks, baby." She cupped his cheeks and kissed him back. "If you could get the big red bag that would be great. It's kind of heavy."

They headed upstairs and left Emmett and I alone in the kitchen. He was generally pretty cool, I loved how he and Edward picked on each other and acted like they didn't get along when it was obvious that they really cared about each other.

"Soooo," he said, stretching the word, "I hear Ed and Rose had it out this morning."

"What's your point?" I sighed, as I took a seat across from him at the table. Seriously, this family had a major case of buttinskis. Maybe it was hereditary?

He raised an eyebrow. "My point is that although I feel bad for her because she's my wife, she totally deserved it. I was pretty pissed when she told me what she said to you. She didn't have an easy time of it with my grandparents when we first started going out, so she knows exactly how she made you feel."

Oh, I seriously doubted that. She had no idea how I felt when she said she wasn't buying our engagement.

"It's just that she-"

"Stop. I don't want to hear it, and especially not from you. I mean, I'm sure she has her reasons for acting like a complete bitch to me, but I'm not sure I want to know what they are—because I'm not sure they'd make sense to me, and it would just piss me off."

"Would it mean anything if I said she was sorry?"

"No," I shook my head sadly. "It will only mean something when it comes from her."

He nodded.

"Is Edward satisfied with whatever she had to say for herself?"

He snorted. "I don't think he's satisfied, but they didn't end up sparring with each other on the beach, so he accepted whatever she told him."

"Where is he, anyway?" I sat with a view of the deck and hadn't seen Edward out there.

"He said he had to check his email, but that was like thirty minutes ago. My money says he fell asleep upstairs. Guess you really wore him out." He waggled his eyebrows and smirked.

I grabbed a chip off his plate and flipped it at him frisbee style, hitting him in the forehead.

"Ow, fuck."

"Emmett, I realize your family is used to being all up in each other's business, but some things are private."

He snorted as he stood and took his plate to the sink. "Good luck with that."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

I went upstairs to look for Edward only to discover he was asleep. He was propped against the headboard with his computer lying cockeyed, half on, half off his lap. His head was tipped back, and his mouth was slightly open. I couldn't help but smile as I watched him sleep. He looked so relaxed and peaceful, and I knew that his schedule at home left him very little time to relax and take care of himself.

He let out a snore and licked his lips but didn't wake up. He wore khaki shorts and a golf shirt, obviously having showered after his run. I sighed and resisted the urge I had to curl up next to him, grabbing my toiletry bag and a change of clothes to get ready for Riley's cookout.

About half an hour before we needed to leave I went back upstairs to check on him. He'd set his laptop on the nightstand and stretched out on the bed, burying his head under a pillow. I sat on the bed and lifted it to run a hand through his hair.

After a couple of passes through his hair, he smiled and reached up to grab my arm, pulling me down on beside him. I laughed and pushed my hair away from my face.

"Mmm. Hi." He gave me a sleepy smile.

"Hi. We need to leave pretty soon, are you ready?"

"What?" He ran his hands over his face and blinked at me a couple of times trying to wake himself up. "How long was I asleep?"

"Well, Rip Van Winkle," I teased, "I don't know how to break it to you, but our kids are in college."

He snorted. "Wow, that is a long time. You look really good for having kids in college, Ms. Swan, or did you marry me as well as take advantage of me during my twenty year slumber?"

I rolled my eyes and laughed, loving that he'd just rolled with my joke.

"Clearly we adopted; you would remember it if I had my way with you."

"Fuck," he whispered, his eyes wide.

I smirked and stood, making my way to the door. "You coming?"

He groaned and threw a pillow at me.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Edward and I took Jasper's car to the party while Jasper and Alice rode with Carlise and Esme. When we got on the road I noticed him looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

"What?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose then glanced at me again. "Are you going to ask me?"

"About Rose?"

"Yes."

"No. I'm not going to ask."

"You don't want to know?" He seemed surprised, and I told him the same thing I'd told Emmett.

"I don't think I do. I'm not sure her explanation will be good enough for me. If she wants to apologize, that's great but, really, I just want to try to move on. That's how you left it, right? She's going to pull her head out of her ass, and we'll all get to know each other."

"Um, yeah." He nodded, still looking unsure. "You're okay with that?"

"Edward," I sighed. "I have no idea why she felt the need to put me down and try to make me feel like shit. I can only guess as to what her history is and what kind of things would make her act like that—or maybe it's as simple as she's a jealous bitch, I don't know—what I know is that I don't want it to ruin our weekend."

He grinned at me as he reached over and took my hand. "You just keep on surprising me."

"I do what I can." I shrugged. "So, what haven't you told me that I need to know for today?"

He rolled his shoulders, and I could tell that he'd relaxed a little after realizing I wasn't going to give him the third degree about his talk with Rose.

"Hmm…Did I tell you how you know when Esme needs to be cut off?"

"Ha! No, you didn't, but I bet that's valuable information."

"Oh, it is. She has two tells, she hiccups and she starts to talk about when my dad was in medical school. Do me a favor, if you hear either of those things, lead her away from whoever she's talking to and find me or one of my family."

"Deal. Anything else?"

He parked the car along a driveway already lined with cars. "No, I don't think so, but I'll try to stay close to you just in case."

"Good. I like it when you're close to me."

We made our way up the drive, catching up with the rest of his family as they walked to the house. Edward's hand rested on my lower back as we stepped into the house and made our way to the beachside deck where the party was apparently taking place. There were a few people in the house as we passed through, but I was entirely surprised to see close to a hundred people filling up the deck and spilling onto the beach.

It seemed as though there was no right or wrong way to dress for the day. I saw people dressed in everything from swimwear to silk dresses. I felt good about my choice of a tennis skirt and layered tanks. Alice had loaned me a bracelet and necklace set that dressed it up a little.

Esme and Carlisle had been stopped by friends somewhere in the house while Emmett and Rose followed the kids who made a beeline for the beach. I was hopeful that I wouldn't have to spend much time near Rose. One can only wear big girl panties for so long before they become suffocating, and I had a feeling that if I had very much alcohol I would throw caution to the wind and all of my hard work at being the better person would fly out the window.

I let Edward lead me to a bar that had been set up in a shady area near the far corner of the deck. There was quite a line for drinks and as soon as we stopped moving people seemed to come out of the woodwork to say hello to Edward, Alice and Jasper.

My nerves spiked each time Edward introduced me as his fiancée as I gauged people's reactions. The crowd was a mix of Edwards and his parents' friends, and it seemed that most of Esme's friends knew about our engagement but not so much the younger crowd. There were a few wide eyes and some furtive glances at my hand, but for the most part, everyone seemed excited for us.

By the time we got our drinks and left the bar area we still hadn't seen Riley or his stepdaughter. I was nervous about meeting Riley. He'd been a big part of Edward's life, and I knew their estrangement still bothered Edward. I wanted him to like me, and I wanted him to be happy for Edward. Somehow, I thought that was expecting way too much, but I hoped I was wrong. Maggie, on the other hand, I could have done without meeting entirely. From everything I'd heard she didn't seem like someone I would ever be friends with. In fact, she was probably someone that Angela and I would make fun of while we sipped a drink under cover of a dark bar.

We were talking with Alice and Jasper when a woman shouted Edward's name from the beach.

"Edward! I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Oh, shit," Alice whispered.

I looked up to see someone who looked like Heidi Montag's twin dressed in a tiny red bikini, grinning and waving at Edward. She stood between two other bikini clad women, thrusting their chests in our direction. My stomach sank. I knew it was Maggie. How could I compete with that? But what if it wasn't even her? What if there was an entire posse of skanky women who lusted after Edward and my very existence was going to piss them off? Damn. I bit my lip and took a couple of deep calming breaths, reminding myself again that Edward said he wanted to be with me.

"She got a boob job," Jasper said quietly.

"She certainly did," Alice laughed.

Edward had yet to say anything. I glanced over to see him watching me with a crooked smile.

"What?"

"Nothing," he laughed, "just trying to figure out what's going on in your head."

"You _so_ don't want to know."

He reached up and put a hand in my hair, leaning close to whisper in my ear, "Oh, but I do."

He ran his nose up my neck, and I had to force myself to concentrate and get the words out, "You're being rude."

"You want me to be nice to her?" His breath on my neck gave me goosebumps.

"I don't even know who _she_ is."

He kissed my forehead and slid his hand down around my waist as he turned towards the beach. "Hey, Maggie."

Her eyes were bulging out of her head almost as much as her breasts were bulging out of her tiny swimsuit.

"Where's Riley?" Edward asked, as if there was nothing strange about her reaction to him. "We haven't seen him yet."

She cocked her head like a puppy trying to understand what she was seeing. "I saw him with Randall talking to the caterers a little while ago."

"Your brother's here? That's great." He smiled at me, completely oblivious to her confusion. "You'll like Randall."

Alice giggled, and Jasper tried to shush her.

"You realize you're still being rude to her?" I said quietly. "You're being a total dick."

"It's the only language she understands."

Maggie and her friends had been slowly walking towards us as she and Edward talked. She finally acknowledged the rest of us when they were close enough for me to see the sweat beading and sliding between her giant breasts.

"Alice, Jasper, it's great to see you again too. Did you bring a friend?"

I realized Edward might have been right. It was possible she only spoke bitch.

"No," Alice gave a fake laugh. "This is Bella-"

"My fiancée," Edward finished, pulling me close and giving her that panty dropping crooked smile.

She raised an eyebrow and snorted. It wasn't very lady like. She stepped closer to where we stood on the deck and introduced herself to me.

"I'm Maggie, and these are my friends Tanya and Irina Denali, and you are?"

"Bella Swan, Edward's fiancée. I've heard so much about you." I didn't tell her that I had heard she was looking for a rich husband or that I thought she'd been sexually harassing Edward.

She looked back and forth between Edward and me, then at Alice and Jasper before looking back to Edward. "You're serious?"

He grinned and moved his hand up to my shoulder, his fingers burning a path up my arm. "I can happily say I'm off the market."

His words and the expression on his face made my stomach flip. I looked up at him, and I was so overwhelmed I had to blink back tears. God, how I wanted it to be true.

He smiled down at me, then his brows furrowed when he saw my eyes.

"Hey," he turned and put his hands on either side of my face, pushing my hair back and searching my face.

We were standing close and I could feel Maggie's eyes on us, but Edward didn't seem to care.

"You know I really mean that, don't you?" His words were so quiet no one else could hear.

My breath caught, and my eyes got wide.

He licked his lips and caressed my cheek with his thumb. "I don't think I can go back to my life without you."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N: **

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can't say it enough. I kind of lost my motivation a few weeks ago, but I feel like I've gotten a second wind. I could tell you all kinds of crazy things that have been going on in my life, but you really probably don't want to hear it. Just know that writing (and reading) fic is my happy place. You all make me happy too, so thanks.

What I've been reading:

**FF - all 3 are WIP**

**From This Day Forward **- by **Hopesparkles **(Tugs at your heart. SweetWard.)

Betrayed just days before her wedding, Bella's personal and professional life hang in the balance. When one of her closest friends offers to be the stand-in groom, Bella will find that sometimes the best things in life really aren't what you planned.

**Bun in the Oven** - by **MissWinkles** (So funny my sides hurt! Ghetto-fabulous Alice, need I say more?)

When a one-night stand that should have stayed that way has unexpected consequences, Edward and Bella have to find a way to make it work, for better or worse. AH/OCC. Rated M for so many reasons.

**Down and Derby** by **kitkat681 **(funny and lemony - and derby!)

Bell Swan is a hard ass roller derby chick. Edward Cullen is a shy and totally awkward Medical Examiner. What will happen when he needs to take care of her when no one else will? A bit of angst... a bit of drama but a TON of funny. Rated M for...you know.

**Books to rec** - I know right, books? I could tell you more, but the summaries are way too long. Amazon doesn't have a word limit like FFnet. LOL

**Overseas - Beatriz Williams **(Time-travelly, mystery/romance. This new book has a prominent spot in my re-read rotation.)

**Premonition Series - Amy Bartol** (Paranormal mystery/romance series. SO freakin' good) (Books 1 - 3 are out (**Inescapable, Intuition & Indebted**), according to her blog/tweets she's finishing book 4 now (**Incendiary**) and it should be out in a few months.)


	12. You're My Best Friend

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 12: You're My Best Friend**

**Warning/Disclaimer:**I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N: **ZOMG! 1080 reviews? I cannot begin to thank you all for reading! That is just... wow. So amazing. Thanks - a million times! The bad part about all of those reviews is there was no way I could reply to all of them. I did the best I could to answer questions and thank new readers. If I missed you, I'm so sorry. Just know that I read and appreciate every comment, and your reviews are sometimes the best part of my day.

I'm kind of late in mentioning this, but I am donating an outtake from AiL in the Fandom4TwiFanG compilation. It's not too late to donate, and thank God it's not too late for me to finish the outtake cuz it's only half done. LOL Anyway, if you want to contribute, $5 gets you the compilation - and there are a ton of authors involved. **Fandom4TwiFanG at blogspot dot com**.

Thanks as always to **Seastarr08** and **SydneyGen **for not laughing me out of the interwebs with my poor use of commas and constant use of American slang. Big thanks as well to **Barburella **for turning around my entire morning and to **Greenabsinthia** for talking me off the ledge. Sometimes real life blows and fandom friends are my saviors.

Alright, that's enough of my rambling. Without further ado, meet Riley. I think he might surprise you. See you at the bottom!

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

EPOV

Bella introduced herself as my fiancée to Maggie, making me want to pump my fist in the air. Take that you money grabbing human life preserver.

But Maggie looked back and forth between all of us, from Bella to me, then to Alice and Jasper and back to me again, as if her words could have some other meaning. "You're serious?"

I slid my hand up from Bella's waist to her shoulder to show her I was. "I can happily say I'm off the market."

I couldn't hide the grin that took over my face. I meant it. Bella was my one. I think I'd known it all along, but suddenly it was crystal clear. My life was empty without her. I found myself picturing my future, and she was at the center of it.

Looking down at Bella's wide eyes, I wondered if she felt the same. I knew she wanted more than a weekend, but did she want a lifetime? She was blinking tears away, and she looked... off. I furrowed my brow, trying to figure out what she was thinking. She looked as if she didn't believe me.

"Hey," I turned and put my hands on her cheeks, pushing her hair back. Searching her face again, I saw nothing but uncertainty. It wasn't the time for us to have a heartfelt discussion, but she needed to know that I meant what I said.

"You know I really mean that, don't you?" My voice was soft so no one else would hear. I knew they could see us, but they didn't need to know what we were saying.

Her breath caught, and her eyes got wide. She still didn't get it.

I licked my lips and caressed her cheek with my thumb. "I don't think I can go back to my life without you."

She closed her eyes, and a tear slid down her cheek. I wiped it away as she opened her eyes and met my gaze. Her hands slid up my body to rest on my chest, her fingers playing with the button on my shirt. She quickly looked down at her hands before looking back up at me.

"I can't imagine my life without you."

She felt the same! I couldn't hold back my smile. I tilted my head to lean down and kiss her, but Maggie's voice interrupted us.

"Oh, no. Is Becky crying?"

Maggie's whiny voice startled me. I'd been so focused on Bella that I'd forgotten we weren't alone. I turned to put my arm around Bella, looking around to see what she was talking about.

Bella giggled. "She meant me."

How childish. "Ugh. Don't be stupid, Mags." I looked down at Bella and winked. "We were having a moment."

"Oh, Jesus," Jasper was chuckling behind us. "Don't rile her up."

"How sweet," Maggie sneered, making it clear she thought it was anything but.

She and the twins stood on the beach looking at us with thinly veiled contempt. I didn't get her at all. How could she expect me to want anything to do with her after being so rude to Bella? She'd certainly changed in the last year, and not just in terms of her cup size. A year ago she had been only casually acquainted with the Denali twins whose family rented the same house at the beach for two months every summer. They ran in a different crowd, more slutty and less classy group than Maggie's usual friends, but the three of them stood united in front of us like best of friends.

"Alright, she's kind of crazy," Bella gave a wry laugh. "I hope your other friends are nicer."

"We are!" I heard Riley's voice the same time I felt his hand on my shoulder. "Margaret, go put some fucking clothes on. You look ridiculous."

"Fuck you, Riley." She rolled her eyes before turning on her heel and heading towards the ocean, the Denali twins following behind her like puppies.

"Kids," he joked, shaking his head, and we all laughed, albeit a little uncomfortably.

He greeted us, shaking hands with Jasper and hugging Alice before turning to me with a tight smile and a nod. Bella squeezed my hand, and I knew I should have done something more, hugged him or something, but it was too awkward.

"You must be Isabella." He took her hand, charming her the way he usually did with women. He had this whole sweet and harmless vibe about him that made women feel comfortable. Since his marriage, he'd learned that he could push the boundaries and be flirtatious as well, because he seemed safer. "I've heard great things about you!"

"You have?" she laughed, and I knew we were both wondering what the hell he'd heard since she'd just met the majority of my family the day before. But Bella was so smooth she didn't let it faze her, easily returning his teasing tone. "Well, I've heard all about you as well. And please, call me Bella."

He threw back his head, laughing. "I can only imagine what you've heard. Please tell me that they've shared some embarrassing stories about our childhood escapades and not just my current situation?"

"Of course we did." I tried to sound amused and not hurt that he'd assumed the worst. "I told her a bunch of stories that made me look good and made you look responsible for all of the trouble we got into."

"Oh lord! Alice, you let this happen?" he glanced at my sister and laughed before turning back to Bella. "We need to talk later. You find me or Randall, and we'll give you the scoop."

Someone called his name from near the house, and he groaned.

"Duty calls." He shrugged before turning to Bella and me. "Nice to meet you, Bella. Edward, let's be sure to catch up tonight, yeah?"

Bella murmured a goodbye, and I nodded. I wasn't looking forward to catching up with him. It had the potential to be all kinds of weird.

"That was nice, only a little awkward," Alice said before taking a drink.

"Hopefully we've set the tone for today," Bella smiled. "I can deal with a little awkward."

I said a silent prayer that a little awkward was the worst we had to deal with.

We smiled at each other, and I leaned down to kiss her forehead, trying to convey how sorry I was for my fucked up family. I had no idea if she understood, but she tightened her arm around me and leaned a little heavier into my side.

It turned out the afternoon wasn't awkward at all. We mingled with old friends of my parents and a few friends from college. Mostly though, we spent time with my family. I was worried when Alice and Bella joined Rose on the beach to play with the kids, but Bella squeezed my shoulder on her way by, assuring me that she'd be fine.

A little while later, she stood at the water's edge with Rosalie watching Alice and the kids splash in the shallow surf. I could tell they were talking, and they both appeared calm. I hoped Rose was apologizing. She'd tried to explain herself to me when we sat down to talk after my run, but her reasoning seemed ridiculous.

_I sighed. "So, you going to tell me what it is you've got against my fiancée?"_

"_Ugh. I don't have anything against her."_

"_You were a total bitch to her. What the hell was that about?"_

"_Who the fuck is she? You haven't dated in years. We don't hear anything about you meeting anyone or going out and then suddenly you're engaged? Excuse me if I think something isn't right."_

"_You can think something is off all you want, but you don't get to be rude to her. Just because your family can't be trusted as far as you can throw them doesn't mean the whole world is out to get you."_

"_Oh, that's rich."_

"_What?"_

"_Like your family accepted me with open arms."_

"_Rose..."_

"_Don't 'Rose' me." She pointed at me, and I closed my mouth to let her finish. "Your family treated me like shit, and you know it. Your grandfather ran a background check on me!"_

"_You made a comment about spending a night in jail. The man was from another generation, he was worried that you were some kind of felon or a drug addict. How was he supposed to know the charge was dropped?"_

"_Well, he knew when he threw the papers at Emmett during a family dinner, but he still had to try to stir shit up."_

_I sighed. "What does this have to do with Bella? You got raked over the coals so you had to harass her?"_

"_When it was all said and done everyone told me to forgive your grandfather. 'He was only looking out for the family, Rose.' I didn't do anything any different."_

_She started to stand, and I grabbed her wrist._

"_You called her a pregnant gold digger. You had to know how much that hurt her."_

_She stood still for a second, looking down me as she bit her lip. "Okay," she sighed, sitting down. "I could have gone about it differently."_

"_Ya think?" I shook my head. "I get it. You were tested before you got accepted into the family. You think we're all a little nuts because we fall in love so fast. You want to protect us, and that's great, but you can't do it by being disrespectful to my fiancée and pushing her away. She's my one, Rose."_

_She turned to look at me, her mouth open slightly in shock. "She's your one?"_

_I'd been over it in my head so many times it wasn't funny. I knew there was something special about Bella—but on the flight out with her, our heads leaned together, her headphones stretched between us...I'd had this overwhelming sense of rightness. That everything had fallen into place. The thought that Bella and I could have never met, or that I'd go home and never see her again made me feel physically ill._

_I met Rose's eyes so she could see how serious I was. "Yes. She's it, Rose. Make your peace with that, and apologize to her, please."_

"_I just don't want you to get hurt."_

"_You have no control over that. Apologize. She's important to me."_

_She nodded, resigned. When she stood up again I didn't stop her. She walked off down the beach._

I still didn't fully understand what was behind Rose's attitude. She'd given me her reasons, but I wasn't sure I was buying it, at least not entirely. But in the scheme of things, who was I to question her? Here I was faking an engagement, I had no room to judge. All I cared about was that Rosalie got her attitude in check and accepted Bella, or at least treated her as if she did.

They continued talking, occasionally glancing at each other, but mostly looking out at the water. I tried to imagine their conversation, desperately trying to read their lips whenever I caught a glimpse of them, but it was like watching Kung Fu, the words I imagined didn't match their movements and I felt lost.

I sighed and put my empty beer on the railing. I turned around to look for the rest of my family, but before I could find any of them I saw Riley heading straight towards me.

"You need a beer?" He held out a bottle as he came to stand beside me and leaned on the railing.

"Ry." I nodded and accepted the beer and took a long drink.

"So, I hear congratulations are in order." He raised his eyebrows as if he needed confirmation.

"I guess they are." I smiled but gave him a shrug trying to play it off as no big deal. It was a huge deal, but I didn't want to rub it in. The poor guy was stuck in a shitty marriage. I supposed he could have gotten out of it, but Charlotte had destroyed his self-image and basically just fucked him up. I never imagined that he loved her, but it had become apparent that he had, at least until he learned the truth about why she married him.

Riley took a swig of his beer and gave me a hard look. "Don't, Edward."

"What?"

"Don't downplay it. I'm happy for you.

"Yeah?" I hadn't expected him to react anything close to favorably, so I was shocked.

"Yeah." He shook his head. "I never meant for things to get so fucked up between us. You and me, I mean. I know that my life is not what we thought it would be, but I'm still me. I'm still the guy who carried you home when you fell off your bike and sprained your ankle when you were six. The guy who double dated with you at the prom and roomed with your for four years of college.

"I know shit got weird, and I avoided you for a while. That's on me, but, Jesus, Edward, I'm still your cousin. Your friend."

"I know that, Ry." I looked out at the beach where Bella and Alice sat in the sand. Rose had moved into the water with the girls, and they all looked as though they were having a great time.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair before turning to my cousin. "I feel like I don't even know you. How the hell did you fall in love with Randall's mom behind my back? How is it possible I didn't know? You just disappeared and called to say you got married. What the fuck? Do you know how much shit I took because everyone thought I was covering for you?"

"Ed-"

"No. You have no idea. Fuck. Our dads, Randall, the rest of our friends, even my mom, they all thought I knew. I looked like a jackass, but the worst part was that I couldn't believe you would keep that shit from me. I would never have told them. I would have covered for you, but you didn't even give me the chance."

To be honest, I had always wondered if I could have prevented everything if I'd known what was going on.

"You couldn't have saved me," he said, practically reading my mind.

We'd been like that once, full of inside jokes and able to finish each other's sentences. There were a few years I'd been closer to Riley than I'd been to either of my siblings.

"I fell so hard and fast for her it wouldn't have mattered what you said. She completely snowed me." He laughed bitterly. "Remember when you were sick that fall, you had mono, and we all stayed as far away from you as possible? I went out to dinner with Randall and Charlotte. We ended up getting shitty drunk, and I woke up in bed with her. We had this heart to heart, and I was all in. We met a few times over the fall semester and then at Christmas... well, you know the rest. Nothing you could have said would have changed it."

"But-"

"I know, divorce her. Take her for all she's worth, or for all her ex is worth. I'm getting there. I just don't see the point. Who wants some dumbass who fell for a cougar's bullshit?"

He was breaking my heart all over again. I couldn't believe how much she had messed with his head. I swore to God if Charlotte ever came anywhere near me I was going to fuck her up, or let Rosalie do it. But that certainly wasn't what he needed to hear.

"You'll never know until you start looking again." I hoped I sounded sincere, because I meant it, but he did have a point. How did you get back out there and date after what he'd been through? I couldn't even fathom it.

"Yeah?" he chuckled. "How'd you meet Isabella? I can't imagine you have a lot of time to date during your residency."

My brain froze up. I didn't want to lie to him. I'd just given him crap for keeping things from me, but I had to tell him the story Bella and I had agreed on. I wasn't ready to tell anyone besides Bella the truth.

"We met through a friend." If you considered Craigslist a friend. Shit. He probably knew I was lying. Bella was the only person I wasn't lying to anymore. I finished with a truth, well a semi truth. "My friend Garrett dates her roommate." If you considered going out twice so far dating.

"Emmett says she's awesome." He smiled as we watched the scene on the beach. The twins had started to bury Alice in the sand.

"She is pretty great." I smiled, thinking of how amazing Bella was, and lifted my beer to my lips.

"Does she have any single friends?"

He caught me mid sip, and I coughed, trying not to spit my drink out.

"Just kidding man," he laughed, and I realized he was joking. No matter how fucked up it was, he was still married. Then he shrugged. "Seattle's too far away, anyway."

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. I shook my head as he took a drink of his beer and turned around to see what was happening on the deck. The change in him over the last year was unexpected, and maybe we'd both changed, but I felt like I had my best friend back.

We spent a good half an hour together, maybe more, people watching, talking about my residency and catching up on news about old friends. Eventually my parents waved me over to where they were standing with Bella and another couple.

I told Riley I'd see him later, and he grabbed my arm as I started to walk away.

"Edward, don't fuck this up," his voice and eyes were full of concern.

"Okay." He really seemed to need me to agree.

"With Bella. Just... what you have is special. Take care of it."

"I will."

I nodded, feeling a little dumbfounded. He couldn't know how true his words were. What Bella and I had was special, and I didn't want to fuck it up. Our relationship still had the potential to implode if anyone found out the truth, and that scared the shit out of me. I hoped that by the end of our trip we could get beyond that, but we needed to talk.

He held my gaze for a second before turning and walking in the other direction. I stood rooted to my spot and watched him go, slightly unsettled by our entire interaction. It was awkward at times while at others it was like the past few years had never happened.

"Edward," Bella's voice interrupted my thoughts, and she took my hand between both of hers. "Your father wants to introduce you to someone."

She looked happy. Her eyes were bright, and her hair mussed from the breeze. Her cheeks were pink, either from the time in the sun or the alcohol she'd been drinking. Her happiness should have been infectious, but I felt emotionally off balance. So much had happened in only a few hours that my head was spinning. I needed a minute with her, even if we were in a crowd, just a minute before she led me back to reality.

"Bella, wait." I wanted to pull her into my arms so I could breathe in the scent of her hair and body wash. Something about the way she smelled soothed me.

She put her hand over my heart and gazed up at me. "Are you alright?"

This time when I looked into her eyes I didn't see uncertainty. I saw concern and hope, and quite possibly love. That was all I needed to know.

I ran a hand through my hair and let out a steadying breath.

"I am now."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N: **

*sigh* Poor Edward. He's sure about Bella, but he's not sure about much else right now. Thanks so much for reading. I'm so glad you're all enjoying these goofballs and their stumbling through romance. I know you're looking for a little more discussion between Edward and Bella and that's coming. Hang in there. :)

Recs -

**At Last by Michelle M Marie **(Doctorward and PregnantElla) Very cute and funny. Way under-reviewed/appreciated WIP.

At Last Bella's love has come along - in the form of a one night stand. "You never know what you're missing until you suddenly get what you want without asking for it. Does that even make sense? No? Well, neither did my life after I met Edward Cullen." A/H

**Politics and Prejudices by Damsell **- I love well written PoliticalWard fics, and this Edward is swoony (the plant he brings her? LMAO, so sweet!).

Bella Swan, speechwriter to Senator Cullen is new to politics & D.C. Edward Masen, Chief of Staff to Senator Volturi having grown up surrounded by politics is jaded by it all. Can Bella survive this new world & can Edward overcome his prejudices? AH

You know what, while I'm pimpin' - you all know about the **Twibrary**, right? It's a great listing of twific organized by types of Wards... artistward, doctorward, foriegnward... you name it. Sometimes when I'm looking for a fic the most I can remember is what type of Edward it was - Twibrary comes in handy. :)

OH - it's twibrary dot blogspot dot com


	13. Kitchen Witch

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 13: Kitchen Witch**

**Warning/Disclaimer:**I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N: ** Awww... what the hell. Crazy 14 hour work day and another 12 tomorrow. (It's the craziest two weeks of the year for me at work.) Tomorrow looks to be nuts at work again - so I'm just going to put this up now. I think you'll all be okay with it.

So, last update I told you about my o/s for the Fandom4TwiFanG thing - **GossipLips1 **made me an awesome banner for it! The link is on my profile. I give up on trying to post the link here.

Thanks to everyone reading, rec'ing and reviewing. You guys are the best!

As usual, thanks to **SydneyGen** and **Seastarr08** for being betas/prereaders. Big thanks to **Greenabsinthia** for helping dig through this fic for a detail I still swear I added. (**SydneyGen**, I'd love to go to a piss up with you - or a cookout - or a cock out - I'm sure we'd have fun at any/all. :) LMAO!)

Sorry for the little bit of rehashing we've been doing here and there - important conversations have been happening when we were in the wrong character's point of view! LOL

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

"Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches." ~From "The Princess Bride" - Wesley to Buttercup

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Riley's cookout was a bit surreal, and I was glad that I faced it with a cocktail in hand.

It started with Maggie, and holy shit, she was a surprise. I had imagined this stylish, snooty, _Sex and the City_ type, but she wasn't that at all. No. She was a Snooki wanna-be, and it wasn't working for her. Thank God Alice and Edward had made comments about how much she had changed in a year, because, really, I couldn't see her being friends with any of the Cullen's.

I guessed they'd sort of inherited her with Riley's wife, but still. She was a piece of work. After her bullshit with screwing up my name and acting like she couldn't believe Edward was off the market, I knew that I'd have to keep an eye on her. She seemed like someone who liked serving up revenge.

Riley was another story. I could immediately see him as Edward's best friend. He was welcoming and funny. I knew Edward was reluctant to see him, and even more so when Riley suggested they talk later. He'd admitted to me on the ride over that he was afraid their lives were too different and they had drifted too far to be friends again. I had hope that Riley was ready to bury the hatchet, or build a bridge, whatever it took to get his cousin back, and that made me kind of want to kiss him.

After a trip to the bathroom and a stop to meet some musician Alice knew, I found myself standing on the beach with Rose while Alice played in the surf with the twins. I took a deep breath and made a ridiculous comment about the weather. I was still focused on being the bigger person, and the silence was kind of awkward.

She huffed and spoke without looking at me. "I'm supposed to apologize to you."

"But you don't want to?"

"Bree, be nice!" she snapped. The twins had been playing together nicely, but Bree had apparently decided she wanted to splash her sister, a lot. "Look, I don't know you, and you certainly don't know me or what I went through when I met this family. I didn't mean to offend you, I was just being protective."

"I'm not sure I know anyone who wouldn't be offended when called a gold digging whore, but maybe that's just me."

She made a sound that could have been a sniff or a laugh, and I saw the corner of her mouth lift.

"Bree!" she yelled again. "Do you need to get out of the water?"

"No!"

"Then stop splashing people or you'll spend the day in the house watching ESPN with your father."

I couldn't help laughing. The idea of that little frilly child inside watching sports on TV for an extended period of time was torture, for both Bree and Emmett.

"Can we just start over?" she asked, glancing at me quickly before looking back at her children.

"Without an apology?" I felt like a bitch, but I knew I couldn't let her get off scot-free. She would hold that over me forever if she could.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I was just looking out for my family."

She wasn't sorry, and we both knew it, but I had a feeling it was the best she could muster.

"Apology accepted."

I don't think I'd said that to anyone since I was twelve, but it was truly the only thing I could say. Hopefully we could move on from there. Or I would have to talk to Angela about coming to New York to kill her. Yeah, getting along would be better.

"He says you're important to him."

He'd told her that? Holy shit. She watched me, waiting for a response, and I smiled as I tried to hide my surprise, as well as the butterflies in my stomach. I bit my lip, trying to figure out how to tell her how I felt about her brother-in-law without telling her too much before I'd confessed my feelings to him.

"He's amazing. I'm lucky to have found him."

Her eyes held mine for a second before she gave me a nod.

Alice shrieked from the water as both Kate and Bree splashed her.

"Alright, Aunt Alice is done. It's time to play in the sand." She made her way out of the water, both girls whining and pleading for her to stay. "Nope. Come make a sandcastle with me!"

Their heads hung as they followed her to the beach, but their pouts disappeared as soon as they began to play in the sand. But they weren't building a sandcastle, that was for sure. Without a word between them, the twins had conceived a plan to bury Alice in the sand, beginning with her feet.

After a while, I decided that I needed to get out of the sun. Alice wanted to come along, saying she wanted some water. Rose wanted to hand the girls off to Emmett for a while, so we made our way back towards the deck.

Edward and Riley leaned against the deck railing with their backs to the beach. I was relieved to see them talking, and their relaxed postures were a good sign. I nudged Alice, and she glanced at them.

She smiled. "I saw them earlier. They've been talking for a while."

"That's good, right?"

"Yeah. I don't know what you've done to Edward, but he didn't even want to come to this party last year, let alone talk to Riley."

"Oh, I don't think I've done anything. Maybe it was just time."

We continued walking, neither of us wanting to interrupt whatever was passing between the cousins.

The house was cool when we made it inside, a welcome change after our time in the sun. There was another bar set up in the living room, and Alice got us drinks while I used the restroom.

When I found her again, she was in deep conversation with an older woman who looked like an oompa loompa and was slathered in diamonds. The rings on her fat fingers flashed as she waved her hands around, talking animatedly. Alice nodded and smiled as the woman's mouth continued to run. As I got close enough to hear them, I realized the little orange woman was talking about a remodeling project she wanted Alice and Esme to do.

Alice held two drinks in her hands. When our eyes met, she gave me a slight nod before holding one of the glasses towards me. She mouthed, "Later," as I took the glass, and I gave her hand a squeeze to let her know I understood.

I took the opportunity to explore the main floor of the house on my own. The back of the house was almost entirely windows, allowing uninterrupted views of the deck and beach from every room. The living room was quite large and decorated in striking bursts of color, including a Pollok-style splatter painting on the wall. The style was contemporary, if a little dated. I had a feeling everything in the house represented Charlotte's taste.

The formal dining room wasn't much better. There was a long, black lacquered table with matching high-back chairs. The curtains were mauve with a large cabbage rose pattern on them. It all screamed to be updated, and I wondered how Alice and Esme could stand it. I knew very little about design, but even I knew that the decor in this house seemed both inappropriate for the beach setting and in need of a facelift.

I pushed through the far door in the dining room to see an incredible kitchen buzzing with activity. It had state of the art commercial appliances including a gas range with double oven and a subzero fridge/freezer. There were marble countertops, a breakfast bar, and a small, informal dining area. The catering staff moved around with calm efficiency, demonstrating that the kitchen was as functional as it was beautiful.

I wandered farther into to the room, standing at the breakfast bar for a better look at everything. I was a kitchen nerd. I loved to cook and made do with the shoddy apartment kitchen I lived in, but Edward had seen me drool over his newer appliances and granite countertops. This kitchen was in an entirely different league. It should have been in a magazine.

The caterers mostly paid me no mind, though I'd caught a couple of them smiling at what must have been a expression of awe on my face. The huge, double-bowl stainless sink caught my eye. I was pretty sure the faucet was from the Kohler ProMaster line and my fingers itched to try it out.

I was lost in my own thoughts when I heard an obnoxious laugh behind me. I may have only met her once, but I knew that bitchy cackle belonged to Maggie.

"Betsy," she sneered, "I see you found somewhere you should feel comfortable—with the help."

I turned around to face her and rolled my eyes. "Well, the people in here certainly are friendlier than you." A couple of servers chuckled as they moved around, filling trays and drying dishes.

I took in Maggie's outfit—if you could call it that. She'd changed into a tiny summer dress with spaghetti straps that did nothing to contain her gigantic breasts. " I see you actually put some clothes on. That must be uncomfortable for you."

Her eyes got wide. She probably wasn't used to people standing up to her.

"Listen," she tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I'm sure you think you've hit the jackpot with Edward, but I wouldn't get cocky until he actually says, 'I do.'"

She was crazy if she thought she ever had a chance with Edward. I shook my head at her.

"You don't know anything about my relationship with Edward." I licked my lips and found the courage to say the words I so desperately wanted to believe. "We're planning a wedding and a life together. You can bitch and moan all you want but, in the end, he's coming home with me. You'd do well to remember that."

"And we're in my home, you should remember that."

The door to the dining room swung open as she spoke, and Esme stepped into the kitchen like my own personal superhero—with a tumbler of vodka as her secret weapon.

"Maggie," Esme's eyes moved up and down Maggie's generous body, and her lip curled just slightly, "your disrespect is quite unbecoming."

"Esme-" she started, but Esme cut her off.

"It's Mrs. Cullen." She sipped her cocktail, then smiled sweetly. "How is your mother these days?"

"My mother?" Maggie looked surprised, and a little afraid. "She's fine. She'll be in the city next week."

"Yes, we have a lunch date. I'll be sure to tell her how lovely the party was. You know she worries that Riley will damage her reputation." She took another drink and sighed. "But I'd say Riley isn't the one she needs to worry about, wouldn't you?"

Maggie snorted and stomped off. It was the second time I'd seen her turn on her heel and run away. I was beginning to realize that Maggie was much more bark than bite.

"And Maggie," Esme called sweetly as Maggie reached the door, "put a sweater on. You look like a tramp."

Maggie's eyes shot daggers back at us. She let out a huff of frustration, but she pushed through the door and left without another word.

As the door swung closed Esme turned to me and smiled. "God, she's a bitch. I can't believe she had the balls to say anything like that to you."

"How much did you hear?" I snorted. "She makes it a point to call me by the wrong name."

"Enough. She's just jealous."

"I know." But it was all so overwhelming. Meeting Edward's family and putting on a show while trying to figure out exactly what was going on between the two of us. I wanted to tell her everything, but I knew I shouldn't. She was watching me, waiting for me to say more, and I sighed. "It's just been a rough couple of days. First Rosalie and now this, can't people just be happy for us?"

"Oh, honey, there are always a few people who try to rock the boat, but what you and Edward have is stronger than that. Just talk to Edward, don't hide these things from him. The two of you are so in love, these little speed bumps will just make you closer."

"I hope so."

I bit my lip and prayed she didn't see how worried I was. I wanted this weekend to solidify our relationship. So far Maggie and Rose had been the only obstacles, aside from lying to everyone, and I thought maybe we were going to succeed.

"Things will work out, I just know it." She cupped my cheek and smiled tenderly. "Now, let's refresh our drinks and find your fiance."

I started to move towards the door, and Esme shook her head. "The good stuff's in the freezer."

Of course it was.

"Vodka and soda?" she asked as she added ice to her own glass.

"Yes, please."

She made her own drink then filled most of my glass with vodka and added a splash of soda. We moved onto the deck to find Edward, but were sidetracked near the door by Carlisle. He was talking with a former colleague from the hospital.

"Bella this is Dr. Patrick Snow, an old friend from the hospital, and his wife Didyme. Patrick, Didyme, this is Bella Swan, she's engaged to my son Edward," Carlisle said proudly, which made me cringe internally. "He's finishing up his residency at U-dub in Seattle and Bella teaches, middle school, correct?" He glanced at me, and I nodded. "Where are you now, Patrick, I thought you moved out west?"

"I did, I did. What a small world, I'm at Harborview in Seattle. Director of Emergency Services."

"Really?" Carlisle beamed. "That's terrific news. I knew you were looking for an admin role. Are you still able to get your hands dirty, now and then?"

"Of course," Dr. Snow grinned, "I have to keep my skills sharp. So, how long does your son have left at U-dub? I need some new blood on my team."

Carlisle laughed heartily. "He's got a year left, but maybe you should talk to Bella about their plans. I heard they were thinking of a New York wedding."

Everyone looked at me, and I froze for a second, unsure of what to say. Edward had made it sound like a relationship with me would be enough to keep him in Seattle, but I had no idea what he'd been telling his family. Did they think he wanted to come back East? Would they blame me if he didn't? I looked over at Esme, who smiled at me over the rim of her drink, and I felt a little better. I knew she only wanted Edward to be happy, well, that and to have children.

I shrugged at Carlisle's friend. "We're still deciding, but I'm sure he'd love to talk to you."

Carlisle patted my shoulder, and I knew I'd said the right thing. His eyes searched the crowd until he found Edward and Riley still talking at the edge of the deck. He caught Edward's attention and waved him over. Esme and Didyme were talking quietly, and I realized it was the perfect opportunity to have a moment alone with Edward.

"I'll get him. He and Riley are just catching up."

Carlisle nodded, and I made my way across the deck. Edward took a step away from Riley then turned back. His expression changed, and they exchanged a few words before Edward nodded, and the conversation was over. Riley walked off, and Edward seemed to be gathering his thoughts. I was right in front of him before he even noticed me.

"Edward," I said quietly, and his eyes jumped to mine, startled. "Your father wants to introduce you to someone."

I smiled and took his hand before heading back towards Carlisle.

"Bella, wait." Edward's voice was hesitant, almost uncertain, it wasn't like him at all.

I turned towards him and put my hand on his chest, studying his face as I tried to figure out what was troubling him. "Are you alright?"

He looked down at me and suddenly I was the one being studied. I had no idea what he was looking for, but I could only assume he found it when the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile. He ran his hand through his hair and let out a deep breath.

"I am now."

"Yeah?" I asked, but I couldn't hide my smile.

"Yeah," he laughed, giving me a quick hug and kissing my hair. "It's just been... A lot today."

I laughed. "I hear that. Now come meet your dad's friend Dr. Snow. He's the E.R. director at Harborview."

"In Seattle?"

I nodded as I finally began to lead him back to Carlisle.

"Wow, okay. Did you tell him that we wanted to stay in Seattle?"

I glanced over my shoulder and shook my head. "I said we hadn't decided."

"Really? I thought we had." My heart skipped a beat at the way he referred to us as 'we.' I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to it.

"I didn't know if you'd said anything to your parents."

"Oh, right. Good call. What would I do without you?"

"The same things you used to do, drink beer with Garrett and fall asleep with your nose in a medical journal."

He stepped closer, and I felt his hands on my hips and his breath in my ear. "And I told you I never want to live like that again."

His words sent a shiver down my spine, and I stumbled. His arms came around me, and we both laughed. His arm stayed around my waist as he slipped beside me and we made our way across the deck together.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Much later, following dinner and a few more drinks, we found a relatively secluded spot on the beach to wait for fireworks. We spread out the blanket that Alice loaned us and got comfortable and watch the sunset.

I moved between Edward's legs and sighed as he wrapped his arms around me. He pushed my hair off my shoulder and gently kissed the sensitive spot behind my ear. It was the first time that we'd been alone together since we'd arrived at his cousin's. Part of me wanted to sit back and enjoy his sweet attentions, but another, more insecure part of me, knew that we needed to talk.

"Edward," I whispered, squeezing my hands into the arms of his polo shirt.

"Mm hm," he mumbled, as his nose skimmed along my neck.

"What are we doing?"

His hands slid down my thighs, and his fingers traced the edge of my shorts. "We're waiting for fireworks."

I took my hands out of his sleeves and put them over his, stilling them. "That's not what I meant."

He sighed and dropped his forehead to my shoulder. "I know."

"I mean, we've both said we don't want to go back to the way things were, but what does that mean?"

He dropped a quick kiss on my temple before bringing his hands up to massage my shoulders. "I think it means we just keep doing what we're doing."

"Okay... And the engagement?"

"I think... It's on," he said quietly.

The engagement was on? I had no idea what to make of that. Of course it was on, everyone thought we were engaged, but what about when we went home, what then?

I turned partway around so I could see his face. "What does that mean? I'm sorry, I just want to understand."

"It means let's stay engaged." His hand cupped my face, and his thumb stroked my cheek. "I'm falling for you, a little more every day. I just.. I hope you feel the same."

I bit my lip. Did he mean it? His thumb smoothed over my eyebrow, and his eyes searched mine. In that moment, everything came together. I knew he meant it, that what I felt was real.

"I do. I'm falling for you, too. I was afraid it was just me."

He grinned and his other hand came up, tangling in my hair. "Just think, by the time the wedding rolls around we'll be madly in love."

"Madly?" I teased.

"Deeply," he chuckled, leaning in to kiss me as the first of the fireworks burst in the sky over our heads.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:** Truly, madly, deeply - WHAT?! LOL So... they've had a little talk. They both know that there has to be a more serious discussion, sometime when they're not drinking...but they're on the same page! Thanks so much for reading! See you in 2 weeks.

I have to tell you guys -I kind of love that you are digging my fic recs (I like knowing other people are finding these gems!) - but seriously - thank you so much for showing such amazing love to the fics I've mentioned. Poor **Michelle M Marie** (At Last) nearly had a stroke last week with all the new readers and reviews. Thank you so much for helping me pay it forward. :)

Recs this week:

**CoVert Masquerade** by **Saharafirefly **(WIP, 31 chapters, almost finished) (Undercover Agentward? *nods* Plus, how's this for funny? I powered through this fic, and when I got all caught up I thought, I should tell people about this story... then I read her A/N after ch31 and she pimped out AiL! LMAO Great minds, ya'll!)

In the subversive world of organized crime and undercover agents, nothing is what is seems. Will Bella Swan, sent to extract Edward Masen out from under the clutches of the vampire fetish obsessed Volturi Crime Family, succeed in her mission? Or will the lines between business and pleasure become blurred? AH/OOC. Rated M for language and lemons.

**I Remain, Yours **by **Momatu **(WIP, 25 chapters - It's the time travelly thing again - sort of. I'm on the edge of my seat with this one right now.)

Bella is unexpectedly given an antique desk that once belonged to Edward, and in it she finds a letter he wrote to his cousin in 1918. She responds and sets them off on a journey neither could ever have expected. Perhaps there are some things we aren't meant to understand, just accept... Will eventually contain character death - NOT Edward or Bella.


	14. Silent Lucidity

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 14: Silent Lucidity**

**Warning/Disclaimer:**I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N: **Holy two weeks, you guys. I was so busy with RL that at first there was no way to do review replies... Then I tried to do a few last night, but I'm so behind it's overwhelming. Thank you so much for reading. I appreciate each one of you who reads, whether you leave me a note or not.

As usual, thanks to **SydneyGen** and **Seastarr08** for being betas/prereaders. Special thanks to **Leckadams** for a quick pinch hit read through today.

Now... on with the show!

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

By the time the fireworks finished, Bella and I were stretched out on the blanket side by side. We held hands, and our legs and feet tangled, making sandy paths with our toes on each others skin.

We talked quietly as the beach emptied out. She told me about Maggie cornering her in the kitchen and my mother swooping in to her rescue.

"Wait, what? Esme is not a superhero!"

"She is!" Bella laughed. "She's like... Wonder Vodka Woman. Vodka is her truth serum."

I laughed loudly, the sound echoing down the beach. "I thought her truth serum was her mom look. She can wield that shit through telephone lines, I swear to God."

She giggled and rolled her eyes. "Your mom is great."

We were alone, on a deserted beach in the moonlight, and Bella was gorgeous. There was never going to be a right time for us, but fighting my attraction to her was a losing battle. I shifted closer, taking her in my arms and whispering in her ear, "Can we stop talking about my mother?"

My hand found it's way into her hair, and I placed gentle kisses on her neck.

She tilted her head, giving me better access. "Mm, what did you want to talk about?"

I trailed my nose along her jaw before kissing the corner of her mouth. "Who said I wanted to talk?"

"Then shut up," she laughed, rolling onto her back and pulling me with her.

I was barely cognizant of the fact that we were out in the open as we made out on the beach. All I could think about was her. Her fingers in my hair. Her lips on my skin. Her taste in my mouth. Her breasts that fit perfectly in my hand.

She felt incredible beneath me. We kissed and touched, whispered and laughed. I had no idea how long we fooled around, but it seemed like forever. Eventually, she sighed and cupped my cheeks as she peppered my face with light kisses. I tightened my arms around her, and she snuggled against me.

I was beginning to think we should head back to Riley's house when I heard a voice on the beach. The sound of the waves made it difficult to hear, but as I listened I realized someone was calling my name.

"Edward?" It sounded like my sister, but I had no idea what she wanted.

"Alice?"

"Edward!"

"Bueller," Bella mumbled.

I laughed as I stood before turning to offer her a hand up. "I think we've been found."

"There you are!" Alice called, breathing a little heavy as she and Jasper got closer. They stood, arm in arm, and she grinned at us, teasing. "Jeeze, hide much? We've been calling your name for five minutes."

"Sorry," I glanced at Bella, "we were distracted."

Bella blushed, and I put my arm around her, tucking her into my side.

"Speaking of distractions," Jasper laughed.

"Yes, exactly!" Alice nodded. "We need you to take mom and dad home."

"What?" She looked excited, but I had no idea what distractions had to do my parents.

"When we came to get you Esme was telling telling Randall's girlfriend about her pregnancy cravings."

"She isn't even pregnant," Jasper laughed.

"I know, right?" Alice laughed. "Anyway, mom was talking about babies and dad was just sipping scotch and listening."

"Is that his tell?" Bella whispered.

I grinned and nodded. "Yeah, he usually keeps her in line, but when Carlisle stops trying to act as her filter he's had too much himself."

"We should go." She spoke quickly, as if we should hurry, but her shoulders shook, and I realized she was stifling laughter.

"What?"

"Wonder Vodka Woman is in trouble," she giggled.

She was ridiculous, but I loved it. I bent and grabbed our blanket and gave it a shake. I looked at my sister as I draped it over my arm.

"And why do we need to take them home?"

"Well," Alice said, stretching out the word. "Rose and Em have already put the kids to bed in a guest room so they're going to stay here. Jazz and I are going to Talkhouse to see a band. So you should take them home and put them to bed. You know," she giggled, "in their room, on the first floor."

It had taken me about a second to understand what she was saying. If Bella and I took my parents home, we would have the entire second floor of the house to ourselves—for hours.

"I see." I smiled and started pulling Bella towards the house.

Bella bit her lip trying to hide her smile as she tried to keep up. Alice and Jasper had burst out laughing. We all but ran up the beach, leaving them behind us.

"Don't stop to talk to anyone, we'll never get out of here," I whispered as we climbed the steps to the deck.

"We have to," she laughed. "We have to say goodbye."

"Ry will understand." Shit, if he knew the whole story he would have told us to leave hours ago to have my grandparent's entire beach house to ourselves.

Bella's hand was in mine as I led her around the pool. There were ten or fifteen people still milling around outside, and I could see a few more people in the living room. My parents sat together on a bench seat on the far side of the deck. My father looked out towards the ocean, while Esme was turned to the side, still talking to Randall's girlfriend, Mary. Randall sat beside her, doing something with his phone.

"Carlisle," Bella said quietly when we stood beside them, and she saw the vacant look in his eyes. "Would you like a ride home?"

His face brightened when he recognized her. Esme hiccupped, and he laughed.

"That's a great idea!" He nodded before putting a hand on my mother's thigh, "Edward and Bella are offering to drive us home."

She ignored him and continued talking. "And no one tells you that you'll—hiccup—have to push so hard you'll have a bowel movement on the delivery table... Carlisle didn't even warn me!"

"Excuse me," I said, stepping forward and praying that she'd stop talking before I heard anything more disgusting. I knew I needed to play my cards carefully if I wanted her to come along with us. If she got defensive we would end up arguing, and I'd never get her to leave. "Mother, we're going to head home. Walk us out?"

"Oh yes, of course." She smiled at us then turned to my dad. "We should probably say our goodbyes as well, don't you think, Carlisle?"

"Whenever you're ready, dear," he agreed, then winked at Bella with a grin. He was drunk and bored, but he was the master at managing my mother.

"It's been lovely chatting, Mary, but it is getting late."

Mary murmured her goodnight as my mother stood, wobbling slightly. I reached out to steady her, and she tucked her hand into my elbow. "Thank you, son."

I rolled my eyes, calling goodbye to Randall and Mary over my shoulder and started to lead Esme into the house. I heard Bella and my father coming behind us, so I just kept moving.

Riley saw us from across the room, and his face broke into a grin. I raised my chin and acknowledged him, but we didn't stop walking. He knew very well what was going on, having rescued unsuspecting partygoers from my mother before.

Momentum was the key to getting Esme into the car with us. We moved through the house saying quick goodnights but never slowed enough to stop and talk. She followed me outside and didn't hesitate to climb in the car when I opened the rear passenger door.

I made my way to the driver's seat and Carlisle and Bella were close behind. I grinned as my dad opened up the passenger door for Bella before getting in the back. Esme scooted closer to him, hiccupping and laughing as they spoke quietly.

It was late enough that there wasn't much traffic and we made good time driving home. Bella and I were quiet in the front seat, holding hands and stealing glances at each other. Esme and Carlisle whispered for a few minutes, but she soon fell asleep and was snoring before we pulled in the driveway.

I parked the car and, as everyone else climbed out, I found myself frozen for a second, realizing what was about to happen. Me and Bella. Naked. Uninterrupted. Naked. I scrubbed my hands over my face, and our earlier conversation popped into my head.

"_Let's stay engaged... I'm falling for you... Just think, by the time the wedding rolls around we'll be madly in love." _

I was an idiot. That was the lamest pseudo proposal I'd ever heard. I owed her so much. Much more than that. After everything she had done for me, she deserved to be romanced—and loved. Love. I never imagined that I'd fall in love with her. I was beyond falling, but I was afraid to admit it.

"Edward?"

Bella stood on the passenger side looking in at me, and I caught a glimpse of my parents as they walked up the front steps.

"Sorry, I was thinking." I gave my head a slight shake and exited the car. I needed to get my shit together before she decided it, or I, wasn't worth it.

We linked hands when we met in front of the car and made our way to the house. She leaned against me and sighed. "Does this feel weird?"

"What?" I looked down at her, unsure what she meant.

"This. It's like we're sneaking around to lose our virginity together or something. It seems kind of weird since we're following your parents _into_ the house."

I laughed as I opened the front door. She had a point. I went in behind her and stopped, leaning against the wall in the entry. Our arms stretched between us before she returned to stand in front of me. I reached up, and she watched as I traced the neckline of her blouse with my finger while I struggled for words.

"What?" she whispered, wrapping her hand around mine, stopping it.

I pinched my nose, afraid of her answer. "Is it too weird?"

"What? No." She laughed. "I didn't mean it that way."

She stepped closer, her hands cupping my face before they slid into my hair. I moaned as she scratched my scalp, and I dropped my head back against the wall. My hands found their way to her hips, my thumbs slipping into her waistband.

"It's not too weird. When have we done anything normal, Edward?" She laughed again. "Let me ask you this. We have two more nights here, and a full day of traveling, are you going to be able to wait that long to be alone with me?"

"No, fuck. That's not what I meant." My hands slid from her waist down to her ass, and I pulled her against me. "I want you, now. I just... What you said. I thought... I didn't know."

"Stop thinking, Edward."

She kissed me, and I felt every inch of her body pressed against mine. There wasn't a chance in hell I could make it back to Seattle without touching her. Fucking her. And it was going to happen where we stood if we didn't get to a bedroom. Soon.

I pushed at her shoulders, and she moved back, our lips a hair's breadth apart. We were breathing hard, and I could only imagine that my eyes looked exactly like hers—hooded, dark, and full of desire.

"Upstairs."

She nodded and took another step back, her eyes still on mine.

I grabbed her hand again and led her to our room. The door had barely clicked closed when I reached for the hem of her shirt. Her hands were already on my fly, and our arms tangled before she paused long enough to let me pull her shirt over her head.

I wanted to kiss her, to lick every inch of her body, but she was still wearing too many clothes. She seemed to read my mind as she held my gaze while reaching behind her back to take off her bra. I followed her lead, kicking off my shoes and then the shorts that had pooled around my ankles. My shirt was next, then my boxers. After weeks of build-up we were suddenly naked before each other, and I had no idea why we had waited so long.

She was beautiful, with creamy, porcelain skin and full, perfect breasts. Her long hair covered her shoulders, and a pink blush spread across her chest as it rose and fell in anticipation.

She bit her lip as her eyes swept over my body, but I couldn't wait any longer and pulled her back into my arms. Our lips came together in a hard kiss, and our hands were frantic. It was like we couldn't decide where to touch next. I certainly couldn't. I wanted to touch her everywhere.

I hadn't realized we were moving, but we must have been, because we bumped into the bed. It didn't slow us down though. We parted just long enough to crawl onto the mattress, and then I was stretched out along side her, my cock just inches from where it wanted to be.

I slowly ran my hands down her body, stopping to caress her breasts and thumb her already tight nipples. She arched towards me, and I took one in my mouth, teasing it with my tongue, scraping it with my teeth. She moaned before bringing her hands to the back of my head, holding me in place.

I moved one hand between her legs, as well. She was hot and wet, and so responsive, as my fingers slid through her folds and around her clit. In no time she gasped my name and tugged at my hair so I kissed my way back to her lips. I kept my hand where it was, stroking her and teasing her entrance. She rocked her hips, trying to get me to press deeper.

"Oh fuck," she whimpered, as I pushed two fingers into her.

I loved the sounds she made. Gasps and sighs. Whimpers and moans. And my name. Christ. The way she said my name, it was like a prayer.

I kissed her and crooked my fingers to rub against the spot that made her crazy. She was so fucking beautiful, stretched out on the bed with all of her blushing skin on display. She fisted the sheets as I stroked her until she cried out, arching against me and coming undone.

I couldn't think about anything but getting inside her. I grabbed a condom from the nightstand and moved between her legs. She was still breathing hard as she licked her lips and watched me put it on.

I stretched above her, kissing her as I aligned our bodies. I rolled my hips, sliding along her center and teasing us both. She bit her lip and gave me a slight nod before I pushed into her. She was hot and tight. Being inside her was the sweetest fucking torture.

"Fuck, you feel good."

She moaned and raised her hips up to meet mine. It was all the encouragement I needed. I pulled back and began to move, driving in and out of her in long strokes.

"Holy shit, Edward. I can't... Please."

I knew what she needed and gave her more. I thrust harder and faster, pounding into her until her body began to tighten around me. Her fingers dug into my ass, and whole body stiffened. Her muscles clenched as she went over the edge, crying out my name.

That was what did it. She was impossibly tighter and wetter, but my name on her lips was the tipping point. I did this to her. I made her gasp and cry and thrash her head. She was mine. The orgasm that I'd been trying to hold off shot through me. I groaned and shoved into her one last time before I came long and hard.

Panting, I rolled to the side so I didn't crush her, and she curled against me, stretching an arm over my chest. My heart still pounded against my ribs, and my breaths came quickly. After a minute or two, I got up to take care of the condom. When I came back to bed she returned to the same spot, tight against my side and her hand stroking across my collarbone.

"Mm... That was..." she trailed off, chuckling. "Wow."

Thank God for the wow, or I would have been worried.

"It was," I agreed, lightly trailing my fingers down her side. It had been by far the best sex I'd ever had.

The house was quiet except for the sound of our breathing mixed with the rhythmic push and pull of the ocean. We stayed like that for a while, gently touching and catching our breath. The silence was comfortable, like a warm blanket cocooning us from the world.

Eventually, she shifted in my arms, pulling me behind her so we were spooned together. My mind replayed the night in bits and pieces. But just like in the car, I kept going back to our earlier discussion, and my words made me cringe.

"Bella?"

"Yeah?" Her voice was muffled and quiet, as if she was almost asleep.

It didn't matter though, I couldn't let her go to sleep without telling her what I was thinking. I tightened my arms around her and sighed.

"I know that what I said tonight... It wasn't enough..."

She rolled over to face me before I could finish and put her finger over my lips.

"Edward, no." She shook her head. "I knew what you meant."

She may have understood, but she didn't know what I meant. I swallowed hard and looked into her eyes. "Someday I'll give you a real proposal. Down on one knee, a diamond—all of that. I promise."

She took in a sharp breath and looked away, blinking. I could tell that I'd surprised her.

"I mean it."

She nodded and brought her eyes back to mine. "I believe you."

Somehow I hadn't anticipated her response. I don't know what I expected her to say, but her words were perfect. "Good."

She nodded again and rolled over, clutching my arm as it draped across her chest. I sighed and closed my eyes, finally letting sleep begin to wash over me.

It was foggy after that, in that space between dreaming and awake, but I swore I heard her whisper, "And when you ask me, I'm going to say yes."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:**

I have a feeling you either loved it or hated it – felt like it was too soon or not soon enough. IDK. I really liked how it played out, but I'm feeling particularly insecure - it must be hormones. IDK but it's making me kind of nuts. Anyway, I'll just be hiding somewhere. Thanks for reading - See you in two weeks! (OMG I sound more crazy than usual this time. Sorry)

What I've been reading:

**Black Diamond **by **Dishie** (WIP - but 44 chapters in it was on The Lemonade Stand last week and I got sucked in. Skiing and wine? I'm in.)

The black diamond slopes of Lake Tahoe are just what Bella needs to start living her life again after a painful breakup left a hole in her heart that work couldn't fill. Will a handsome and charming skier also prove that her heart is ready for love too?

**Innocent** by **Anna0804 **(WIP - only 9 chapters posted, but it has pulled me in. I want to know what happened, and I want to see these two figure their shit out. LOL)

Bella's life was a strict routine built to keep her from remembering the one that hurt her. And her life was full of people who were desperate for her to forget. Someone had spread a vicious lie about Bella that sent him away from her 5 years ago for what she thought was forever. What will she do when he returns to her life?


	15. Behind Closed Doors

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 15: Behind Closed Doors**

**Warning/Disclaimer:**I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N: **WOOT! You guys are amazing. I was able to reply to a number of your reviews, certainly not all, but I can't thank you enough for your support with the last update. I was feeling kind of crazy, I still don't know why, and you all left me the kindest words. And you guys pushed AiL over 1500 reviews - so crazy! I kind of can't get my head around that. Thank you - so much.

So, in light of that (and the crazy ass work day I have tomorrow), I'm gonna put this up tonight. Enjoy!

I forgot to mention last time that the **Fandom4TwifanG** compilation is out! My AiL prequel, **Plan B,** is in there. But if you're like me, you haven't gotten through the whole compilation, so you might not have gotten to it yet. Here's the summary. It starts on page 445 of the compilation.

**Plan B**: Lying to your mother is never a good idea. Lying about being engaged is crazy, so is the plan they came up with so she wouldn't find out. Edward (& Garrett) BROMANCE - Not slash.

Thanks, as always, to **SydneyGen** and **Seastarr08**.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

_BPOV_

It was still dark when I woke the first time. Edward mumbled in my ear about defibrillation and cardiac something or other before letting out a short snore and quieting.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes again, allowing myself to be surrounded in everything that was Edward. His warmth. His scent. The weight of his arm around me. The feel of his body along the length of my back. Even his breath, and an occasional snore in my ear. He was everywhere, and I loved it. I had no idea how I was going to sleep by myself when we got back to Seattle. Sure, we said we were going to continue our engagement and date, but Edward's work didn't allow for a regular sleeping schedule.

He mumbled again, and the only word I could make-out was mustache. I tried not to laugh, but a little giggle slipped out. I hadn't noticed his sleep talking in the previous nights, but it was kind of adorable. Angela swore I talked in my sleep too, so it was good to know I wasn't alone.

When I woke up the second time, it wasn't Edward's voice that got my attention, but his body... In the form of his morning wood poking me in the ass. I bit my lip and tried to stifle a moan, but it was hard. Oh yeah, it was hard. My hips instinctively pushed back against him, and he laughed.

"I didn't think you were awake." His voice was hoarse with sleep, and it was hot as hell.

I moaned and licked my lips. "How could I sleep with that poking me?"

We continued rocking our hips, and his hand slipped down my stomach and between my legs. His fingers found me already wet, and I moaned when he pushed them straight into me.

"You better not sleep through it." His breath was warm as he chuckled in my ear.

His fingers pushed in and out, and his hard cock slid lazily between my cheeks. He was a fast learner. A couple of make-out sessions and a round of hot sex, and he already knew how to play my body like an instrument.

"Edward," I panted, as I reached for him. My fingers found his hip, and I pulled him tighter against me.

"Fuck. Get a condom from the drawer."

"What?" I couldn't think as he nibbled my ear and his fingers drove into me rubbing my g-spot. Edward was talented; it had taken Paul months to find it.

"Condom."

"Right."

I lurched towards the nightstand, yanking the drawer open. My change in position pressed his hand on my clit. It felt so good I had to close my eyes and groan. I searched around blindly in the drawer, tossing aside what felt like a book and a pen before finding a small square packet. I scooted back against Edward and put the condom in his outstretched hand.

"I want you to come first." His tone was commanding and, good lord, my body responded.

My breath hitched, and the feeling in my belly coiled tighter. He added a third finger and began pumping them in and out like a man on a mission. Some added pressure from the heel of his hand was all it took.

I came with a gasp, arching my back and biting my lip to stay quiet. I hadn't heard anyone moving around, but I didn't want to alert anyone to what we were doing.

He continued stroking me as I rode out my orgasm, then withdrew his fingers, leaving a wet trail on my skin as he drug them across my hip. I felt him moving behind me, and I heard the tear of the packet. I was so blissed out I was only vaguely aware of what was going on until I felt him sliding into me.

We moaned together as he started moving his hips. His hand cupped my breast before teasing and pinching my nipple. I wrapped my hand back around his neck and managed to tangle my fingers in his hair. It was slow and sweet. He felt incredible inside me, thrusting at the perfect angle to drive me crazy. My orgasm was slowly building, and I felt myself starting to tighten around him.

There were noises in the hallway, and I realized the rest of the family must have been waking up. I started to worry that we would get interrupted, but I didn't want to stop.

"Don't stop. Please don't stop." I tugged at his hair in urgency.

"Fuck, no. Are you close?"

"Yes. Oh, God. So close."

He brought his hand down from my breast and started quickly rubbing my clit.

"Quit fucking around in there," Emmett's voice boomed, and he rattled the door handle.

I gasped in surprise, and Edward broke rhythm, thrusting hard into me with a quick jerk.

"Mother fucker," he grumbled and continued with hard strokes and a pinch to my clit.

My orgasm shot through me, and I couldn't stop myself before I cried out, "Oh my God, yes!"

"Holy shit! You two are actually fucking around!"

"Shut. Up. Emmett," Edward growled as he rocked into me a couple more times before grabbing my hip. He pressed tightly into me, letting out a loud groan as he came.

"Damn," he sighed and kissed my neck. "That was amazing."

"Oh my God. Did you just finish with me standing out here? You're a fuckin' stallion, bro!"

"Go away!" I tried to sound angry, and I was—Edward's nosey family was annoying as hell—but I ended up laughing because it was just so ridiculous. Emmett laughed too, then he said something I couldn't make out before thundering down the stairs.

Edward was breathing hard and chuckled as he slipped out of me. I rolled over to face him, still laughing. He gave me a quick kiss before he got up to take care of the condom and came back to bed.

I raised an eyebrow, and he shook his head and gave me a crooked smile.

"Your family is cray-zee."

"I'm not going to argue with you." He stretched next to me and began playing with my hair.

"Seriously, your brother just totally heard us having sex. That's the second time someone has stood outside that door and tried to cockblock us."

He laughed and waggled his eyebrows. "Yeah, but they were only successful once."

A huge smile covered my face as I thought about the night before, but something on the main floor banged loudly and brought me back into the moment.

"It's weird. You have no privacy. They are always up in your business."

He sighed, still twirling a section of my hair around his finger. "I know you're an only child, but didn't you hear your roommates having sex in college?"

"You mean Angela? Well, yeah... But rarely. Plus, it's not just about the sex."

"I know. I guess I'm just used to it. We've always been close, looking out for each other."

"I guess I just have to get used to it."

He smirked. "You do. You're stuck with us, Miss Swan."

"You know, Angela and I had a sign in college. We didn't need it terribly often, but a scrunchy on the door meant someone was... Busy."

"We had a sign too, but it wasn't all that effective. It was usually the sound of a headboard hitting the wall, and Emmett saying something like, 'Ride me, baby. Just like that.' The only thing that's changed is now says Rose instead of baby. He used to call everyone baby so he didn't have to remember their names."

My eyes got wide. "What a pig!"

"Yeah," he wrinkled his nose and shrugged, "but he was just a horny teenager."

"Teenager? Oh shit, wait! He's four years older than you, so this was when he was in high school?"

"Well, in high school and during college breaks." He chuckled, then grew serious and reached up to cup my chin, his thumb running over my lips. "But I'm sorry if he embarrassed you. I'll remind him that a closed door means someone wants privacy." I had a feeling Esme would beat him to the punch. I was fairly certain Emmett was downstairs squealing like a girl about what he'd overheard.

"I'm not embarrassed, not really. It served him right, but I just can't get my head around how close you all are. On the one hand, I'm freaked out by it, but on the other hand, I'm totally jealous."

"Aww. Don't be jealous, they've accepted you into the family. You can start oversharing and walking around without pants anytime now."

"Who walks around without pants?"

"I'm so not telling you that. We'll just wait until you see for yourself."

"Like - totally without pants?"

Edward just nodded but wouldn't tell me who it was. I didn't want to see anyone's naked ass, except Edward's. I hoped that whoever it was, they at least wore underwear.

"Edward, Bella! We know you're up," Alice yelled, and I heard Emmett laughing in the background. Dirty perv. "Breakfast in ten minutes."

"You ready to face them?" he asked, brushing the back of his hand over my cheek.

"I suppose," I joked, falling back onto the bed with a sigh.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Breakfast was a little uncomfortable, but at least this time it was because Emmett was giving me a side eye, not because I was worried about our charade. There were a few snickers and smiles as we came into the dining room, but mostly the family acted like everything was normal and Emmett hadn't just overheard us having sex.

I waited for Rosalie to say something or give me a dirty look but, thankfully, she focused on feeding the baby some disgusting looking orange goop from a jar. After what she said outside our door the first night we were at the beach, I was sure that she was full of snarky comments about what Emmett heard. I wasn't sure what kept her quiet, but I wasn't going to provoke her.

No one had plans for the day. We were going to relax and enjoy the beach before we had to get ready to go out. Esme explained that their neighbors, Sasha and Vasili Sokolov, an older couple who had been friends with Edward's grandparents, hosted a cocktail party every year that always had excellent food and live music.

"You'll love it, Bella!" Alice gushed. "There's a seated dinner and then drinks and dancing! I have a dress for you to borrow that is perfect for tonight! It's navy blue silk; it will look so good against your skin."

I'd almost forgotten Alice's need to dress me like a Barbie. "Oh. Um. Thanks. You didn't have to do that."

"Oh, sweetie," Esme chuckled. "Alice always brings enough to dress an entire fashion show."

Carlisle chuckled and folder the newspaper. "I'm sure she brought something for all of the gentleman as well, didn't you Alice?"

"Of course I did! Have you seen Emmett and Jasper dress on their own?" She rolled her eyes. "Edward only knows what he's doing because I've been emailing him pictures of coordinating outfits for years."

I smiled into my coffee mug and tried not to laugh. This family was seriously too much.

We finished eating, and everyone split up. Rose and Emmett took the kids to the beach before it got too hot. Edward and Jasper were going for a run while Carlisle had some paperwork to finish up in his office. Esme and Alice invited me to yoga with them, but I declined and made my way upstairs to our bedroom, thankful for a few minutes to myself.

It was a little early to call Angela, but I'd been thinking about her since her name came up in Edward's and my earlier conversation. I wanted to tell her that Edward and I were going to stay engaged, and there was no way I could wait until I got home to give her the news.

She was the sister I didn't have, and I knew, no matter how crazy she thought the idea was, she would be excited for me. Heck, she was the reason I'd gotten involved with Edward in the first place.

I grabbed my phone and curled up in the window seat.

"Argh. Unf. Whaah?" Her jumbled words made me smile.

"Morning, sunshine!"

"S'Bella?" She was not a morning person.

"Yup. Think you can wake up enough to talk?"

"Yeah," she said, yawning.

"Who's on the phone, babe?" A man's voice was quiet in the background.

"Holy fuck sticks! Angela Christine Weber, is there a man in your bed?"

"What? No. I mean, yes. Fuck. Garrett, stop. Hang on B, I'm going in the other room."

"Garrett? Oh my God, whore!"

"Who you calling whore, whore?"

Then we were both laughed hysterically. I laughed so hard I cried and, if I had to guess from the gasping sounds coming through the phone, I'd bet she did too.

"Oh, fuck. I miss you, babe," she said as our laughter trailed off.

"Miss you, too. Tell Gare I say hello."

"Gare? You've nicknamed him? I haven't even nicknamed him, and he fucked me six ways from Sunday!"

"Well you should have. Do I have to do everything?" I huffed, teasing.

"Whatever." She snorted and, after a second, cleared her throat. "So, I'm sure you didn't call to talk about my sex life. You know, since I didn't have one when you left two days ago. How's Edward? And his family? Tell me everything."

"Um, he's great. They're all great, well, except for his sister-in-law, she's a raging bitch, but I think we've come to an understanding."

"Wow. I want to hear everything, but first—have you two done it?"

"Done it? Are we twelve?" I sighed.

"Oh my God! You didn't say, no! Was it good? He's huge, right? I bet he's fuck-awesome. Garrett was incredible. The man did things... Yeah. If he and Edward talk technique you must be a happy girl. Sore too, probably," she laughed as the TMI poured out.

"Shut up! I'm not telling." But I knew she would harp on me until I gave her something. "It was good—very, very good. That's all I'll say."

"Gah, you're a pain in the ass. I'm just going to get you drunk when you get home and make you tell me."

"Great, free drinks!" I teased.

"Whatever. Okay, let's get down to business. Spill. How are his parents? Are they buying it?"

And so I told her everything. Well, everything except the sex details. I truly was going to make her buy me drinks for that. I told her about the claddagh he gave me, the hotel room snafu, about Carlisle showing up at the Campbell Apartment, Rose being a crazy bitch, Maggie and her flotation device breasts, Riley and Edward's reconciliation, and finally... I told her about our decision to stay engaged and Edward's promise that one day he would truly propose.

That news was met with an unprecedented silence. Angela was _never_ speechless.

"Ang? Say something, please."

"Holymotherfuckingshitballs!"

"Good shitballs or bad shitballs?"

"Good shitballs! The best shitballs! Oh my God! I knew it! I just knew it! When I brought that ad home I knew that he was perfect for you!"

"Ang!"

All I could do was laugh and, God, I needed it. Despite all the fun I'd been having with Edward and his family, I'd also been nervous practically every minute since we landed in New York.

"Alright, alright. So... You're okay with all of this? Staying engaged and, well, falling in love while you plan your wedding?"

I took a deep breath and let my head fall back against the wall behind me, taking a second before answering. I didn't actually need time to think about it, I knew what my answer was; I was just a little afraid of saying it out loud, like that would jinx it or something.

"Yeah, I'm okay with it." I bit my lip, then grinned when I realized that wasn't quite right. "More than that, I'm excited about it."

Angela was quiet again, then I thought I heard a sniffle.

"Are you crying?"

"What? No! It's just, that was so sweet! This is so awesome! What are you thinking? I mean, have you discussed dates or anything?"

"Um. Well. We're thinking next summer. Here." I waited for her to freak out because we weren't doing it in Seattle.

"Oh," she said quietly, then laughed. "Scene of the crime and all that, I guess."

"Oh, Ang. This is so weird to talk about. I can't believe it's really happening, but I want you to be in the wedding. You're the reason we met!"

"Thank God! I was worried for a second."

"You know better than that!"

"I know. You're just... Out there meeting the in-laws..."

"And you're there," I sighed, "fucking my groomsman."

She burst out laughing. "I totally am."

We talked about her then, and I let her explain how she and Garrett had hooked up at _Heads or Tails_ the night Edward and I left for New York. Edward had introduced them as he promised, and they'd had a couple of dinner dates before we left, but I had no idea that they'd been texting back and forth on a regular basis. Apparently she'd texted him the morning we flew out, inviting him to dinner and, unsurprisingly, Don Juan—I mean Garrett—turned her words into something dirty.

**A: My roommate and your best are on the other side of the country. Come for dinner?**

**G: I'll come for you anytime.**

**A: Fuck you.**

**G: That's the plan.**

**A: Ass. Meet me at 6.**

**G: Wouldn't miss it.**

The rest was, as they say, history. They'd had dinner, drank too much, ended up in bed—repeat.

"Ang," I warn, "you know he's a player, right? I mean, I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know, B. It's cool. We've already talked about his reputation."

"It's not a just a reputation," I said quietly, thinking of the stories Edward had told me. "Don't get me wrong, I like Garrett. He's a great guy, but he's sort of a man whore."

Angela's laughter surprised me. "He _was _a man whore. We've talked about it though; he wants to be exclusive. I think, seeing you and Edward, he's realized that it's time to grow up. I know it's a risk, but we're going to give it a try."

"Wow. Alright, then. I'm kind of excited that we'll be able to double date, and you can come with me to the hospital to visit Edward."

"I know, right? It's sort of like dating brothers!"

"Ugh! Don't say that. Edward's brother is on my shit list today."

She laughed so hard she snorted coffee up her nose when I told her about our run in with Emmett earlier in the day.

"Oh my God! What a family! They sound kind of awesome!"

Leave it to Angela to get awesome out of Emmett listening to us have sex.

"Speaking of family, have you figured out how you're going to tell Charlie that you're engaged to the Craigslist killer?"

"Not funny, Ang," I growled, though I wasn't sure which was worse, her joking about Edward being a murderer or telling my dad I was engaged to someone he hadn't met.

That certainly wasn't funny. No, it was downright nauseating. Charlie didn't even have an email account, let alone know how to use Craigslist. Yeah, telling Charlie wasn't going to be fun.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:**

Alright, not much E/B - except for the important part hee hee, but B needed to do a little debriefing with her best. It's Edward's turn next!

Thanks again for reading! See you in two weeks!

What I've been reading:

**Exposed **by **kdc2239 **(WIP 25 chapters up - maybe nearing the end?) An influenza pandemic occurs when a new virus appears against which the human population has no immunity, resulting in epidemics worldwide with enormous numbers of deaths and illness. The story of two strangers surviving when they only have each other.

**About Last Night** by **Dawning Juliet** (WIP 9 chapters in) Vampella and young rockerWard. Edward had a good life, and he thought he had it all figured out. But then a certain vampire crosses his path and, suddenly, everything changes. Sometimes, you just can't fight fate.

I tweeted during the SoA premiere that I needed a JaxWard, and Punkfarie pointed me to this:  
><strong>Sons of Cullen<strong> by **Irishchicka1** (author of Collared) WIP - just starting, 7 chapters posted. Bad Ass Bikerward. If you can't stand E with anyone other than B you might want to skip it... Synopsis: His life has always been lived for the Club. He's been raised in it, he embraced it and now he's risen to the station of VP in it. It's in his blood, his bike….the club…his freedom….his chaos…and that's the way he likes it. It's an outlaw's life he belongs to, a rich and sacred tradition of club first, family second and freedom third. It's all he's ever known and wanted...until now.


	16. Ring-a-Ding-Ding!

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 16: Ring a Ding Ding**

**Warning/Disclaimer:**I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N:** OMG You guys are the best! You crack me up with how worried you are that someone is going to overhear something! Relax, no one heard her. :)

I love that FFnet tells you thanks for your support when you post a review, but I still feel like I want to reply to you all - and then real life does crazy stuff - like my boss quits... one of my kids gets sick for the twelve-thousandth time... my in-laws decide to come over unannounced and spend an entire day camped out in my living room. I have the best of intentions with every update, but I'm only successful about half of the time. Your reviews are sometimes the brightest spots in crazy days and they're the things that keep me motivated to crank out more chapters. So - thank you, every reader, reviewer, tweeter and PMer, I appreciate you taking the time to read my ramblings - and my story. LOL

Thanks to **SydneyGen**, **Seastarr08**, and **Greenabsinthia **for their beta and prereading skillz**.**

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

EPOV

Jasper and I ran at a good pace, our feet pounding the hard sand. We ran our usual route, circling back to the house, passing the same runners we saw every morning.

I tried to run as often as I could, but I wasn't obsessive like some people. Although I preferred running outdoors, a treadmill was just as good. While I appreciated the work out, the thing I loved about running was that it was the one time I took just for myself. I used that time for whatever I needed on a given day. If there was a problem I needed to work through, I could think about it with no other distractions. If I needed to clear my head, I focused on my breathing and my footfalls, letting everything else disappear.

Running with Jasper that morning, I tried to let my mind go blank. My relationship with Bella had changed drastically in the last twenty-four hours, all for the better. She knew where I stood, well mostly, and she was on the same page. She just didn't know the extent of my feelings—that I'd marry her tomorrow if given the chance. I felt a million times better about everything, as if I could get through anything with her by my side. For that brief time on our run, I had nothing to worry about.

When we reached the house, we stretched a little on the stairs to the deck. I reached for my toes and took a deep breath. When I glanced at Jasper, he was looking at me, grinning.

"What?"

"Nothing." He chuckled and shook his head as he continued to stretch.

"What?" I stood and waited for him to answer.

He sighed, but he was still smiling. "It's just nice to see you finally under the spell, man."

I furrowed my brows and laughed, "What are you talking about, weirdo?"

"Love, man. You wear it well."

Oh. Yeah. I couldn't hide my smile. "It's that obvious, huh?"

He leaned on the railing for a second, and looked out towards the water where Rose and Emmett and the kids splashed in the surf.

"Well, even if Emmett hadn't heard your lovin', it's written all over your face. And in the way you two can't stop making googly eyes at each other. Alice says she's never seen you like this before."

"I've never felt like this before." I hadn't. Not with anyone I'd dated. And the more I thought about it, I'd been feeling different since the moment I met her.

He nodded. "It's good, right? I remember how I felt when I first met Alice."

"Does it, go away?" I wondered. I hoped it didn't, because he was right, I felt better than I had in years, and I knew it was because of her.

"No. Not really. It sort of mellows, you know? But then it swells up and surprises you here and there reminding you how lucky you are."

I was lucky. That was for sure. What were the chances that meeting Bella the way I had would have led to this? I couldn't even imagine.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

The day was perfect. Bella and I caught some sun with my family on the beach and around the pool. I played some basketball with my brothers in the driveway. I kissed Bella as often as I wanted, and she even initiated it a couple of times. We ate sandwiches for lunch on the deck under the big umbrella. And my mother only got slightly drunk.

The afternoon flew by, and I found myself on the deck with my dad while we waited for everyone else to finish getting ready for the neighbor's cocktail party. We stood at the rail looking out at the water, sipping a couple of cold beers.

"I'm happy for you, son." His eyes were trained on the beach, but I could see the corner of his mouth lifted into a smile.

"Thanks."

"She grounds you, you know? You've always had a kind of nervous energy about you, but not when she's around. It's good." He glanced at me and laughed. "I like to think I have that effect on your mother, too."

I smiled, thinking of all the times that my dad had simply put a hand on my mother's shoulder or touched her back, and whatever had been bothering her seemed to disappear.

"I think you do. You're really good together. Crazy," I chuckled, "but good together."

"Right?" He took a drink of beer and smirked. "Anyway, you know what I mean."

"Yeah. I feel...Better when I'm with her. Like none of the shit in the past matters and anything is possible." I snorted. "So cliche."

"But probably true. You should do something nice for Garrett and his girlfriend, that's who introduced you? You could toast them at the wedding."

I stopped with my beer halfway to my mouth, shocked. Not that Garrett and Angela wouldn't love a toast, but it was suddenly clear that the lie we'd told was going to snowball like crazy. We'd have to tell everyone now, not just my family. I had obviously not thought this through.

"Edward?" Carlisle's brow creased in concern.

I brought my beer up the rest of the way to my mouth and took a long drink, using the seconds to decide if I was actually going to tell him. He continued to watch me, and I knew that if I could tell anyone the truth it was my father.

"That's...That's not exactly how we met."

His eyes got a little wider, but only for a moment, then he sighed and looked out at the beach.

"It's just that I wasn't... How we met is... You... Mom... Fuck." My stomach turned just thinking about how I'd lied to them—how I was lying to them.

"Son, relax. I'm not going to lie and say I'm not surprised, but...It's none of my business. It's between you and Bella."

Was he kidding? My family thought everything was their business. Just hours earlier my brother had listened to us have sex. Before I could say anything, he spoke again.

"Edward, do you know how Aunt Catherine and Uncle Charles met?"

"Yes, at a work picnic," I answered right away. I'd heard the story a hundred times—especially after Aunt Catherine died, and Riley was staying with us a lot.

"Right. That's what they told everyone so your grandmother wouldn't find out the truth."

"The truth? What are you talking about?"

"Your Aunt Catherine met Charles in a bar, and within twenty-four hours she lost her virginity and moved into his apartment. There wasn't a chance in hell anyone was telling your grandmother the truth."

I stood there, dumbfounded. I hadn't spent a lot of time thinking about how Riley's parents met, but I'd never imagined their story wasn't real.

"Edward, how you met doesn't mean anything. There are a lot of couples who have embarrassing stories about how they met."

"Well, apparently it's not as bad as I thought," I mumbled.

"It's your decision if you want to share the story with people or not. It's not necessary. How you feel about her, what your plans are...That's what counts."

"I love her," I whispered before I realized I was even saying it.

"Then that's all that matters. I know you. I know you're feeling guilty right now for lying. We raised you to be an honest man, and you are."

He shook his head, and I was still trying to get my head around what he was saying. My parents had preached honesty and promised unconditional love, yet here I was lying and my father was saying it was alright.

"You can't think of it that way. It's... Not lying." He paused, and his eyes had a faraway look. After a second he shrugged and gave me a sad smile. "It's keeping something private, and you have every right to protect that. Does that make sense?"

"I think so, but I just... It wasn't supposed to be like this. I wasn't supposed to find her this way."

"That's what I'm saying, Edward. It doesn't matter how you found her—just that you did."

"Don't you want to know?" My stomach was in knots. He was telling me that it didn't matter, but I had a hard time believing he meant it.

"If you want to tell me someday, you will. But right now? I don't think I want to know. Can you imagine what your mother would do to me if she found out I knew and she didn't?" He shook his head and shuddered. "All I need to know is that you're happy, and you love her. That's enough for me."

"Yeah, alright." I knew what he was saying, but all I could think about was my mom. Fuck. I could imagine any number of insane ways she would react if she ever found out.

And she was the reason behind all of this. I mean, she wasn't to blame. I wasn't childish enough to deny responsibility for what I'd done...Sure she'd guilted me into a corner and made me feel like a failure of both a son and a man because I was still single and hadn't started a family yet, but the resulting actions were my own. And blame was such a negative word. How could I blame anyone for causing me to do something that led me to Bella?

Shit. I was all over the place. Worrying about my mom finding out, thrilled about where things stood with Bella. I leaned on the railing and rested my chin in my hand.

My dad just laughed.

I needed more beer. A lot more beer.

"Hey," Bella called from the doorway, "there you are."

I looked around and realized I was alone. I had no idea my father had left.

"Are you okay?" She looked stunning as she walked across the deck in dark blue dress and heels that were so high I didn't know how she kept her balance.

I took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. It was exactly like Carlisle said, her mere presence soothed me. My current panic about Esme finding out how we'd met disappeared.

I realized Carlisle was right. Our story was just that—ours. We weren't the first couple to hide the way we met from our parents, and we wouldn't be the last. All I could think about was Bella and our future. Together.

"Doc?"

I couldn't help the silly smile that overtook my face, or the eyebrow that went up.

"What?" she laughed. "You called me Swan the other day; I needed a one syllable nickname."

"I'm not complaining. In fact, we can play doctor anytime."

She smacked my chest and laughed. "Funny."

"You know you want to see my stethoscope." I waggled my eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes. "You're incorrigible."

"You say that like it's a bad thing, Swan."

We grinned at each other, and the sound of the sliding door interrupted our moment. I glanced up to see Emmett leaning out of the house with his hand over his eyes.

"Yo, I'm not interrupting anything, am I? Cuz it's time to go next door."

"Sorry, we're having sex again," Bella called, "right here on the deck for everyone to see."

Emmett's mouth dropped open in shock, and he peeked through his fingers.

"Aw, that's not fucking cool," he grumbled, realizing she was pulling his leg. "Why you gotta hate?"

We cracked up laughing as he slammed the door, but not before we heard laughter coming from inside the house as well.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

The Sokolov's party was the same every year. Families with old money, extravagant hors d'oeuvre, imported caviar and expensive champagne. The only difference this year was, for the first time, I had a date. And despite having never met the majority of the guests and hardly knowing my family, Bella fit in like she'd been coming to the party for years.

Mrs. Sokolov was so pleased to hear that I was engaged, she took Bella under her wing. She led her away, casually telling me over her shoulder there were some people Bella needed to meet.

She returned to me a little while later looking almost sad.

"Hey," I took her hand, rubbing small circles on the back of it with my thumb. "what's going on?"

"Can we talk outside for a second?" Her eyes darted to the doors leading to the pool area.

"Sure."

I put my hand on the small of her back and led her outside. I had no idea what was going on in her head, the only thing keeping me calm was the fact she leaned into my touch and made no moves to distance herself from me. We went to the far side of the deck, finding a place where we could have a private conversation.

She turned towards me, but she didn't raise her eyes to mine.

"Bella? You're scaring me."

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, her eyes jumping to mine before returning to stare at her hands as they twisted between us. "I'm just thinking of how to ask this, or what to ask really."

"Just ask. It can't be that bad, right?" I hoped it wasn't, but I had no idea what she was wondering.

"Okay, I just... It's been weird..." She groaned and huffed, then just blurted out what she was thinking. "Your family keeps looking at my Claddagh like there's something wrong with it, and tonight Mrs. Sokolov asked me if my engagement ring was being sized. What am I missing?"

My eyes got wide, and my hand flew up to pull at my hair. "What? Are you kidding me?"

"You ask that a lot."

"I just... Can't people mind their own fucking business? Shit." I shook my head. "I don't mean you. Fuck. I mean... I'm sorry."

"Just tell me what I'm missing. Is there like, some family heirloom that I should know about? I mean... Shit, Edward, it's a pretty significant detail."

"Not really, but yeah." I pinched the bridge of my nose and gathered my thoughts for a second, then dropped my hand to my side. "Alice and my mother would tell you there is, and apparently Mrs. Sokolov too, but... Grandma Cullen died when we were all little, I don't think Alice ever knew her. My mom used to let her play with this jewelry box full of her old stuff. Alice would cover herself from head to toe in necklaces and beads.

"One time, Alice asked Esme what Emmett and I got from Grandma Cullen. So Esme told her that Emmett and I each got one special ring. There was one from Grandma Cullen and one from Grammy Platt, even though she was still alive, but anyway... Em and I were supposed to get to choose one when we fell in love and wanted to propose."

"And everyone knew this?" she asked softly.

"What? No. I mean, my family knows, and I guess the Grammy's friend, but it wasn't like that. Emmett and I never cared about that. Mom and Alice talked about it all the time."

"But Emmett gave Rose one of the rings?"

Fuck. I couldn't imagine what she was thinking, but Alice's words from the hotel room rang in my head, _"Bella deserves Grammy's ring. Doesn't she?"_

"He did, but... I never cared about that." I ran my fingers through my hair again and tried to figure out how to explain. "I mean, Emmett is four years older than me, I always knew he'd get to pick what ring he wanted, and I'd have what was left. So I never seriously thought about it. I figured if I met someone—I mean, when I met someone—who I wanted to marry, I didn't want to look for someone who matched the ring. I always believed finding my other half was more important than finding someone who would want that ring. Does that make sense?"

Bella nodded, and I saw tears in her eyes. I realized that although I'd explained myself, I hadn't told her the most important part.

"But you know what?" I lifted her hand and rubbed my thumb over the cool gold of her Claddagh. "That fucking ring would be perfect for you. It's... Unique but classic. It's beautiful and... it's part of my family. And you are too. You fit perfectly in this chaos. I swear to you, when the time is right, I'm going to propose to you for real, and I'm going to give you that ring. It's yours."

I leaned my forehead against hers and sighed. "Until then, I stand by everything that Claddagh represents. You mean so much to me."

I wiped her eyes, and she stretched up to kiss me, winding her arms around my neck.

"I'm sorry I didn't explain the ring thing sooner," I whispered into her hair.

"It's okay." Her fingers slipped through the hair at the back of my neck, and she sighed. "It would have been better if you'd told me, but I understand."

I sighed, "I'm horrible at this fiancé gig."

She giggled, and I leaned back to see a big smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes. "You are kind of bad at this. Maybe I should check Craigslist for another fiancé?"

I laughed. "I'll do better. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that, Doc."

I kissed her again, wishing that I could simply drag her back next door and have my way with her, but it was too early. There were still people to say hello to, and I kind of wanted to show off my fianceé.

"We should go back," I said quietly, thinking if she didn't hear me then it wouldn't be true.

But she had heard me, and she nodded her head. Her fingers wove through mine, and we made our way back into the party. .

An hour or so later, I stood near the bar with my brother and Jasper as the ladies mingled. They returned a few times to tell us about some piece of gossip they found particularly juicy or for a quick peck on the cheek. The girls dragged us to the dance floor for a few songs, then let us go back to the bar while they continued to shake and shimmy to the oldies and a few classic rock songs. While the Sokolov's were my grandparent's age, they knew their guests were from several generations.

Jasper and I were talking to an old friend when I saw Alice call Bella over to talk to a woman I didn't recognize. Alice waved her arms around and practically bounced with energy. Bella smiled and nodded, shaking the woman's hand. They spoke for a few minutes, the woman frequently checking her phone. Alice's only seemed to get more excited and Bella nodded her head a lot. When the conversation came to a close, they began walking towards us, arm-in-arm. Alice was grinning, and Bella looked... Panicked.

I moved towards them, quickly pulling Bella into my arms.

"Are you alright?" I looked down at her, brushing some hair off her cheek.

She nodded but pulled herself tight against me and buried her face in my neck.

I stroked my hand down her hair, trying to soothe whatever had her spooked. "What is it?"

When she stepped back, the corner of her mouth had lifted into a half smile. She chuckled, "Alice is already planning our wedding."

"What?"

"That woman, she's the events manager for some hotel, Ocean Blue or something. She and Alice compared dates and talked about catering options."

"Holy shit!" I laughed, but I shouldn't have been surprised. When Alice got excited about something she jumped in with both feet. "Wow. What do you think?"

"I told her we wanted to see the place tomorrow. Alice wants us to go there, and one other place she has in mind."

My hand had worked itself into her hair at the nape of her neck, and I stroked her cheek with my thumb. "You okay with that?"

She bit her lip and sighed. "Yeah, I think I am. I mean, you'll come with me tomorrow, right?"

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it. We're in this together," I promised, squeezing her hip.

"This is real, Edward."

"I know," I whispered, as I lowered my lips to hers.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:**

Ummm... A lot happened in that chapter, yeah? I'm not really sure how it all ended up in there - the chapter sort of took on a mind of its own!

Carlisle is down with 'keeping things private' - I wonder if there's a story behind that? Hmmm...

FINALLY he tells her about the ring!

Alice is planning the wedding already! That girl is full steam ahead!

Don't worry... drunk Esme will make another appearance! We just had some more important things to get to this time.

Thanks again for reading! You all are the greatest!

I feel like a douche saying I haven't had time to do review replies and then telling you what I've been reading... but here's what I've been reading...

**Mixtape** by **JustAskSunKing **(aka SunKing and JustAskAlice)(WIP posting daily) Short and sweet chapters - the 90's references are killing me!  
>What were you doing in 1994? Bella and Edward were wreaking havoc, making out, breaking up, and making up. This mixtape is his gift to her. The song remembers when.<p>

**You Came to Early **by** Elliania **(WIP, just caught up to its prologue)  
>Edward and Bella married too young and for all the wrong reasons, so no one acted surprised when their marriage crumbled down. Two kids and five years later, events force them to live under the same roof for a while. Will they realize what they lost? AH. Older, <span>divorced<span> E/B. Daddyward. HEA.

**Moment of Victory** - **RMacaroni** (14ch - complete)  
>There, in the middle of the exit, where we'll walk right by it on our way out to the field, is the trophy, the prize, the most coveted award for a footballer — the World Cup. The round base holds two athletes stretching up, the world on their hands, in their moment of victory. Only the greatest have held that golden statue, and today, the US finally has a chance. ExB. AH. All EPOV<p> 


	17. One for the Money

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 17: One for the Money**

**Warning/Disclaimer:**I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing. I love that new readers are still finding this story, and I love hearing from other folks with each update. I hope you're all well and enjoying the fall!

It's another 3 Meeting Tuesday tomorrow... So I'm just going to post tonight before all of that insanity starts.

Thanks to **SydneyGen **and **Seastarr08** for taking the time to pre-read/beta and let me be a spaz.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

_BPOV_

I woke in Edward's arms again. My head was on his chest, my hand over his heart and our legs tangled. The sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm orange glow around us and making the copper in his hair shine. I took advantage of waking first and stayed still, letting my eyes wander over his chest, down to where the sheet draped over his bare hip and back up to my hand resting over his heart—my ring secure on my finger.

Edward had finally explained why his family had acted so weird about the Claddagh. It made sense that Edward wouldn't be caught up in finding a girl to match the ring. Who did that? I could see where they would have expected to see his grandmother's ring on my hand...But it didn't make sense with our story of an unplanned proposal. Not to mention I was fairly sure his parents knew exactly where that ring was. It seemed like the kind of thing Edward had to ask his parents for and, clearly, he hadn't.

I shifted a little to get a better look at Edward's face. He was sleeping peacefully, lightly snoring. I couldn't help but smile at the thought that this was, potentially, the way I would wake up for the rest of my life. I was alright with that. As a matter of fact, I was good with all of it...Waking up like this every day. Staying engaged and getting to know each other even more. Planning a wedding. I was terrified, but looking forward to it. How could I not? Edward was incredible. His family, except for Rose—who he swore was only being protective—was great. He far surpassed the ridiculous requirements Angela and I tossed around. He spoke English and had both a job and a car. He didn't live in his parents basement, and he didn't have a collection of Star Wars figures on display in his living room. I had a feeling they were in a box in his closet at his parent's house, but still.

I could have stayed in bed forever, just watching Edward and feeling his chest rise and fall, but Alice had other plans.

"Rise and shine! Time's a-wasting!" she called through the door. The woman had way too much energy for such an early hour.

Edward mumbled something about five more minutes. His arms tightened around me and one of his legs flopped over mine, securing me in an Edward cocoon. I couldn't have moved if I wanted too, so I sighed and closed my eyes, taking advantage of another few minutes in his embrace.

It was our last full day in New York, and she wanted us to look at two hotels that she thought we would like for the wedding ceremony. I'd freaked out a little the night before when she mentioned already having some places in mind. She laughed at me, saying if we wanted to see them first hand, this was probably our only chance.

I had to admit that the idea of actually planning our wedding was a little daunting. I mean, it's not as if I was the kind of girl who had a big binder full of wedding ideas. I hadn't even been to many weddings to get a feel of what I really wanted.

But I knew what I didn't want. I didn't want a long drawn out religious ceremony. Sure, I wanted to be married in the eyes of God, but I didn't need someone to read Bible passages that everyone had heard a hundred times. I just needed a representative of the church, any church really, to say that the Lord blessed our union. Beyond that, I didn't care.

Alice couldn't understand why I didn't already have a plan. She'd approached Edward by the pool the day before to ask about his dream color scheme.

"_Black," he laughed, "for my tux. The rest is up to you and Bella."_

"_Bella told me to ask you!"_

"_No," I interrupted, "You've asked me a couple of times. I told you no pink, and I wanted to talk to Edward."_

"_Well..." Her hand was on her hip, and her head wobbled like one of those bobblehead dolls a couple times before stilling while she waited for an answer._

_My favorite color was purple, although since knowing Edward I'd become particularly fond of a certain shade of green that matched his eyes. Those colors didn't quite work together for a wedding, unless we had a mardi gras theme, and there was no way Alice would go for that._

_I glanced at Edward, who was trying hard not to laugh at his sister, hoping he'd have an idea. I nudged him and raised an eyebrow._

"_What?" He chuckled. "You really want my help?"_

"_Yes!" I laughed. "I've told you before, it's not just my wedding."_

_He sighed, and part of me thought he was stretching it out because Alice was waiting on our discussion, then he shrugged._

"_I'm flexible. Purple. Red. Chocolate brown," he said with a wink, and I felt my blush rising at his mention of my eye color. "Any of those work."_

_Alice bit her lip, and I knew she was holding back an opinion._

"_Brown would be nice. Maybe a dark brown and a tan to coordinate? Those colors are popular."_

"_Sure. Alice can work with that, right?" He nodded and looked up at her. _

"_Yes!" She clapped and blinded us with her smile. "I can most definitely work with that! Oh my God! I have so many ideas. I need to go print some things out to show you!"_

_She disappeared in a flash, leaving me wondering if she'd actually been there at all._

"_Did that really happen?" I mumbled, more to myself than anyone else._

"_It did." Edward laughed and kissed my temple. "You're in trouble now..."_

A knock at the bedroom door pulled me back to the present, and I couldn't help but snuggle a little closer to Edward's warmth.

"Edward, pull the sheet over your pasty white butt. I'm coming in!" Alice was back.

"Pain in the ass. Why can't they leave us alone?" he mumbled, before speaking louder to his sister, "The door is locked, dumbass."

We could hear her groan through the door. "You're a dick. I'm doing this for you, you know? It's already 8 a.m. We have a tight schedule. You two need to get up and get in the shower."

"Mmmm. Can we shower together?" I laughed.

"It would save time..."

I snorted, imagining all the things we could do to each other in the shower.

He must have had the same thought, because he chuckled and kissed my forehead. "Then again, maybe not."

I sat up, leaning on his chest. "Morning."

"Hi."

We smiled at each other, ignoring his sister outside the door. He ran his hand lightly over my back before slipping it beneath the covers to cup my butt.

I raised an eyebrow as Alice yelled something about leaving in an hour. The corner of his mouth lifted, turning his smile into the crooked panty melting look I couldn't resist, and his eyebrow went up to match mine.

Fucker.

His hand shifted on my ass, and just when I thought he was going to give it a squeeze... He surprised me, flipping us over so he was on top. He tickled my sides until I shrieked in laughter. I tried to squirm away from his fingers, but he had me trapped. There was nothing left to do except retaliate. Or maybe yank on his chest hair.

I wiggled enough that I could get my hands free and launched my own attack. He laughed and redoubled his efforts as we twisted around trying to get away from each other. With a surge of determination, I pushed against his chest, shocking us both as he fell on the floor with a loud thump.

"Oof," the air rushed out of his chest and he blinked at me like he couldn't believe I'd bested him. After a few seconds, he threw his head back, laughing again. "I can't believe you just did that!"

"Me either!" I giggled, sitting up on my knees and raising my hands over my head like I'd won prize fight. "I'm number one!"

"You are the biggest dork!"

I giggled and got down off the bed, climbing into his lap. We put our arms around each other, and the mood became more serious. His eyes were on my mouth as I licked my lips. I wanted to feel secure about all of the changes in our relationship, but there were moments, like this one, when I needed reassurance.

"Are you ready for today?"

He nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be. You?"

I shrugged. "I am, but I'm not. You know?"

"Yeah." His hands began to smooth over my back, soothing my nerves. "But we're doing this together."

"Together." I liked the sound of that.

He leaned forward and kissed me. Slowly. Sweetly. It was full of emotion and promise. One of his hands made its way into my hair and massaged the back of my neck. It felt so good, I wanted to remember this little moment forever. The laughter with him. The tenderness. The look in his eye. Our bodies entwined. Together.

A quiet knock at the door caught me off guard, and I lost my balance, falling on my butt next to Edward.

"You okay, Grace?" Edward laughed, teasing.

"Yes," I pushed his shoulder and rolled my eyes.

There was another knock and Esme's quiet voice came through the door. "Morning you two. Sorry to interrupt but I wondered if you want me to leave any breakfast out for you."

My stomach growled at hearing the word breakfast, and Edward chuckled. "Yeah, that would be great, mom. We'll grab showers and be right down."

"Alright, then." I swear I could hear her smile through the door before she went down the stairs.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

The first venue Alice took us to was the Baiting Hollow Club. Their family had been members of the golf club since it was built in the 1960's. As we walked around, Edward told us a few stories about Emmett and Riley causing trouble there as teenagers, and Alice supplied a few funny Edward stories to even the score.

I watched Edward carefully as an event coordinator led us through the hall. He asked a few questions and commented on the architecture and landscaping, but he didn't actually indicate whether he liked it or not. Alice had a list of questions that I knew I should hear the answers to, but my brain had frozen when they started talking about how much everything cost.

I should have known. I should have thought of this days ago, when we first talked about getting married in the Hamptons, but it wasn't real then... So I hadn't considered it.

"Bella," Alice touched my elbow and looked at me with concern, "are you okay? You look a little pale."

I nodded, uncertain of what I would say if I opened my mouth.

"Excuse us, Alice." Edward saw my distress and put his arm around me. He led me to the windows and ran his hands over my arms before resting them on my shoulders. "What's going on?"

I looked around the room, anywhere but into his eyes, and swallowed hard, but when I opened my mouth nothing came out. I shook my head and fought tears.

"Swan," he whispered, as his thumb stroked gently over my my pulse point.

His golf shirt was untucked, and I slipped my hands under the hem to rest on his waist. It may have been inappropriate in that setting, but I needed to feel his skin against mine.

I took a deep breath and bit my lip before finally looking up at him. "This is too much."

"I know." He laughed, not understanding what I meant at all. "I don't want to get married here. It's stuffy. It's not us at all."

"No, it's too much," I said again to emphasize my point. "A wedding is a lot of money."

His eyes got wide as understanding dawned.

"The bride's family is supposed to-" I whispered, but he didn't let me finish.

"Stop. It doesn't matter what you're supposed to do." He shook his head. "No one expects your family to pay for this. What I mean is… All of this..." His eyes darted around the room. "A fancy hall. Two hundred guests and a pair of ice sculptures. It comes with marrying a Cullen. My parents know that I don't want this, and you probably don't want it either... But it's expected, and they would never dream of having you pay for it."

His words made sense, but I knew if he married someone like Maggie, shudder, none of this would be an issue. Hell, there would probably be half a dozen ice sculptures if he married her.

I sighed, still thinking about the money, as well as Edward and Maggie's imaginary wedding.

"Hey." He leaned down and pressed his forehead against mine. "I mean it. I got you into this mess, let my family pay for it."

"How am I going to explain all of this to Charlie? I don't know how I'm going to tell him that we're engaged let alone that your family is paying for a million dollar wedding."

"Okay, it won't be a million dollars, although Alice could certainly work with that, and as far as Charlie goes, we'll tell him together. He knows you're here with me. That we're dating, right?"

I nodded. I'd told Charlie that Angela introduced us, that we'd been dating a few months, and he invited me to his parent's beach house. He'd been on board until I mentioned it was in New York.

After a bit of sputtering, Charlie told me I could only travel with Edward if he was allowed to run a background check on him first. I told my father I'd never come home again if he did. When he realized I meant it, he made me promise to let him know if things got serious with Edward. It was becoming harder and harder to deny that we were at that point.

"Then we tell him the truth. My family would like to throw us a lavish wedding, just like they did for their other two children."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Seriously. I've told you about Rose's family. They certainly didn't pay for her and Em's wedding."

He'd told me about Rose's family when he was trying to explain why she was such a crazy bitch about our engagement. From what he'd said, they couldn't help Rose with college let alone pay for a Cullen-worthy wedding. I wanted to believe him and, honestly, I had no choice. Charlie wasn't poor, but he didn't have the money it would take to pay for everything that would go into a wedding of this magnitude. I didn't have it either. I needed the money Edward was supposed to give me for this trip to pay for my student loans. We hadn't talked about it since we left Seattle, and I wasn't ready to discuss it again, but I still wasn't sure I wanted it. Maybe we could put it towards the wedding?

"Bella, when we get married I'll help you pay off your student loan anyway."

My head snapped up. "Shit. How much of that did I say out loud?"

"Enough," he chuckled. "Let's not talk about that right now, okay? Alice looks restless over there. I'm afraid she thinks you're calling it off."

"Crap!" I glanced at his sister, and she was, in fact, watching us with concern.

His arms slid down around my waist, and he bent his knees so we were almost eye level. Then his arms tightened and he straightened, lifting my feet off the ground. I laughed and hit him on the shoulder.

"Put me down, goofball!"

Alice chuckled and walked over to us. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "I just got a little overwhelmed."

"Oh, sweetie," she cooed. "This is just the beginning!"

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

After driving back across the island, Alice took us to The Resort at Westhampton Beach, which was just down Dune Road from the Cullen's beach house. We walked along the beach, then looked at their options for reception sites.

Once again Alice was asking questions about caterers and music. I heard them talking about availability, and it sounded like if we chose this site we'd have to get married on June twenty-second or one of the last two weekends in the end of August. With my schedule our only option was June. I let my mind wander as Alice rambled on about buffets and seated dinners. The ballroom was classic white, and I could just imagine it decorated in shades of browns and maybe even some accents of baby blue or peach. A wedding on the beach would be perfect for Edward and I, since it was my desire to dip my toes in the Atlantic that got me to respond to his ad. Well, that and the fact we both seemed to love being near the ocean.

Edward stepped behind me and put his arms around my waist. We stood on the deck and listened to the waves for a few seconds, not speaking.

"Are you okay? You walked away while Alice was asking questions again." His breath was warm on my neck, and his voice was velvet in my ear.

"I'm good." I sighed and leaned against his chest as I ran my fingers through the hair on his arm absently.

He chuckled and nuzzled my neck below my ear with his nose. "You love it here."

"I do. So much, but I don't want to know how much all of this costs. I think if I know how expensive it all is I'll drag you to a courthouse."

He slid his hands to my waist and turned me around. "If you honestly don't want all of this we don't have to do it. I know I come off as a total pushover where my mom is concerned, but this is about you."

I took a deep breath, wanting him to understand. "No." I bit my lip and shook my head. "At the golf club, I couldn't picture us there, but here? This is us. I can see us here. On the beach saying vows. Drinking and dancing with everyone. Is that weird?"

He grinned as he shook his head and his hand moved up to cup my cheek.

"Not weird at all." He looked beyond me, out towards the beach, "This is us. I feel it, too."

It was one of those moments when time stood still. We gazed at each other like we were the only two people in the world. I was in so deep with this man it was insane.

Alice appeared at our side smiling from ear to ear. "Well, what do you think? It's great, right?"

I bit my lip and nodded, never taking my eyes off of Edward.

He grinned back at me.

"Tell her to draw up the contract, Alice. We've found our site."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N: **  
>Thanks so much for reading! So glad you're all still here with me. See you all in two weeks.<p>

Now, if you'll allow me a minute to be philosophical for a second... Cancer sucks. In the last three weeks my MIL's cancer has spread, my FIL has been diagnosed with colon cancer and a fandom acquaintance passed away from ovarian cancer. At this point, all I can say is take care of yourselves. Visit your doctor regularly, wear your sunscreen and slather your kids in it. Get annual pelvic exams and do those crazy circular breast exams in the shower that we all tell our doctor we do but we really don't.

The only story I want to rec this week is **Just4Ale's**. Go read **Tunes with Tony Masen**. It's complete and one of my all time favorites. She indulged my crazy fangirly love for her, her fic and the soundtrack. I had to stop myself several times this week from tweeting her, like I occasionally would, to tell her that some song had reminded me of her or TwTM. I hope that she knew how many lives she touched through this crazy thing we call fanfic.

**Tunes with Tony Masen: **Our late night calls were fascinating. His attitude in person was frustrating. Stupid radio host with the velvety, seductive voice. Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? Will the real Tony Masen please stand up? AH. Drama/Mystery/Romance

If you like music - check out her profile for the link to the playlist she created for this fic. (There's a more complete song list in the A/N at the END of the fic.)


	18. Limbo

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 18: Limbo**

**Warning/Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N: **Thanks so much for reading! You guys overwhelm me with the response to this story. HUGS to my East Coast friends getting nailed by Sandy. I hope you're all safe and dry!

Exciting news! If you didn't get the TwiFanG compilation, I'll be posting the prequel to AiL on Thursday. (It features Edward and Garrett...and how those two numbskulls came up with the Craigslist plan.) Keep an eye out if you don't have me on author alert.

Big thanks to **Greenabsinthia **for giving this the once over this week. I was short betas, since people actually had real lives this week, so if you see mistakes - I'm totally to blame. HA

Oh - just a reminder of our timeline... While it's taken months for me to write/post this, E/B have only been in NY for about four days. I know it seems like they've been together longer, but they really haven't. This is all still really new and a bit overwhelming for them. Anyway, just wanted to put that out there.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

EPOV

It was hard to believe our trip was coming to an end. On the one hand, it felt like we'd hardly spent any time with my family at all, but it also seemed like an eternity since I slipped that ring on Bella's finger in the parking structure at Sea-Tac.

It had been a rush to finalize some wedding details at OceanBleu. My pulse raced as we chose a date and booked the ballroom for our reception. According to both Alice and the on-site coordinator, we had plenty of time to determine if we wanted to hold the ceremony in that area as well. They had their own caterer, so we locked them in too, knowing we could make menu decisions farther down the road.

It was ridiculous to think that one decision like that, finding our location, took care of so many other things as well. All of a sudden it was real. We were planning a wedding. My wedding. To Bella. I grinned just thinking about it, and Emmett punched me in the gut.

"Knock it off, chucklehead. Concentrate." He pointed his beer towards Carlisle and Riley down the beach.

"Concentrate? We're playing Baggo, you jackass, and it's not even my turn."

"It's cornhole, ya snob, and Riley and I are gonna wipe the floor with your ass."

There were so many snide comments I could have made, but I bit my tongue. I rarely got to spend time with my brother, and if I allowed him to rile me up we would spend the rest of the afternoon fighting.

"You suck, dad! Get another beer!" Emmett yelled and laughed when my father's fourth bean bag went way wide of the platform to end the inning.

"That ties us at nineteen," Riley called out the score. "Come on, Emmett. We need two more, then Edward can go on a beer run after they lose!"

"Whatever. You fools can get me some beer after _you_ lose!"

Dad shook his head laughing at us, but he was grinning from ear to ear. He probably missed having us all together as much as I had.

Emmett and I took turns, both throwing a couple of woodys on the platform and fouls off to the side that all cancelled each other out. Em threw again, and the bag fell right through the hole. I needed to match him with my last toss or the game was over.

Making a beer run wasn't a big deal, but it was a hassle, and losing would allow Emmett and Riley bragging rights until I could get back to visit and challenge them again.

I took a deep breath, squinting one eye as I reached out to line up my arm.

"So, bro, I don't want you to freak out..." Em started.

I should have known not to continue with my throw, but my arm had already begun to swing forward.

"But Rose and Al are already making plans to come out to Seattle to go dress shopping."

The bag flew out of my hand, shanking way left. "Fuck. You're an asshole for that."

I took a deep breath and sighed, turning to him in disbelief. "Are you for real? Does Rose even want to come?"

I'd laid it out for Rose; Bella was my one. She was it for me, and Rose needed to accept it. She had to know I wouldn't tolerate any more of her shenanigans as far as Bella was concerned.

"I'm pretty sure it was her idea," he shrugged and complimented dad and Ry as they made our way towards us. "Good game you two!

"She said sometimes it can take months for those dresses to come in, so they needed to start looking. Especially since whatever they find out there, Alice will probably come home and order from someone she knows here. You know how she is."

"What's up?" Riley asked, sipping some water.

"Rosie and Alice are going to take over Seattle to find Bells a dress."

"Bells?" I raised an eyebrow.

"What? You call her Swan." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Ednerd is afraid Rose is going to misbehave."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't feed her after midnight," Riley deadpanned.

"Did you make a Gremlin's joke?" Em laughed and shook his head at me, "And I thought you were a dork."

"That's a classic movie," Riley and I said at the same time. I laughed and couldn't rein in my smile. I had really missed him. Us.

"Is someone going to the store?" Carlisle asked, as if he hadn't known all along we planned on him driving one of us to the store after the game.

"You and the doctor." Emmett raised his chin at me. "Losers buy beer, dad. This is a universal rule."

"I thought the universal rule was that you boys never have your wallets when I drive you on beer runs."

"What?" I laughed.

"One time. I forgot my wallet one time," Ry defended himself.

"Apparently that's mostly an Emmett rule then," dad laughed, throwing his arm around my shoulder. "I think your mother had a list of things she needed. I'll meet you at the car."

I stopped to talk to Bella on the beach for a few minutes, making sure there was nothing she needed from the store. When I made it out to the driveway, I was surprised to see Riley waiting for me instead of my dad.

"Hey."

"Ho," he gave me a crooked smile, much like my own.

It was an old joke, kind of like the 'bird is the word' joke I had with Garrett. Exactly like it actually. I'd never thought about that.

He twirled the car keys on his finger. "I haven't been drinking, and I figure we've barely gotten to talk in the last few years. So I grabbed your mom's list and offered to drive. Carlisle gave me some cash."

I nodded and made my way to the passenger side. "Sounds good."

We were barely out of the driveway when he glanced over at me and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Ask away," he laughed. "We just shot the shit on the fourth, I know you have more questions."

He was right about that, but I wasn't sure where to start. I sighed and jumped in with the most urgent question.

"What the fuck happened to Maggie?"

He threw his head back, laughing. "She and Charlotte had surgery together, some mother-daughter bonding bullshit. The Denali's came with the tan; I think it was a package deal."

"Nice." I rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't pay for those bitches either."

I missed joking with him. I was glad I'd started with something light, so we could move onto heavier topics.

We drove in silence for a few minutes, but eventually I couldn't take it anymore. I had to ask.

"What are you going to do, Ry? You can't live in this... limbo... forever."

"Limbo. I like limbo, in Jamaica," he tried to joke, but I couldn't let it go.

"I'm serious."

"I know." He ran his hand through his hair, and I fought a smile; it was something we'd both picked up from my father. "I'm volunteering a lot at the shelter. Did you know that?"

I shook my head. I'd had no idea. I'd imagined him sitting around in his gigantic condo, wallowing in his own pity, and it made me want to kick his ass. And Charlotte's. I was glad to hear he was getting out... Doing something worthwhile.

"I've been taking some graduate classes. Shocking, I know." He chuckled at my raised brows. "I think I'm going to do some non-profit stuff. Maybe get involved with the foundation Charlotte's brother Liam runs."

"The music one?" Riley and I had been forced into lessons as kids. Piano for me. Cello for him. They'd been a pain in the ass when we got older, but we both had a strong appreciation for music because of them.

"Yeah, they help provide instruments to kids who can't afford them and donate symphony tickets to schools."

"You'd want to stay close with him, I mean Charlotte's family?" I was assuming he would get divorced at some point, but I supposed that was a pretty big assumption.

"Liam? He's a good guy. I think he'd rather be related to me then Char." He shook his head and gave me a sad smile. "I have a plan. I mean, I'm sure no one realizes it, but I do."

"You're right. I had no idea. What's the plan?"

He laughed again and gave me a quick glance before putting his eyes back on the road. "I just... I'm going to ride this out a bit, finish my Master's and let her pay for it. Then I'll find my own place and file."

"You're going to live like this for that much longer?"

"Eh," he shrugged. "My boy-toy life isn't so bad. Society parties, charity functions and a kick-ass condo."

"You're not going to date?"

He shrugged. "I haven't met anyone worth risking my heart on again."

I hated Charlotte. And her plastic daughter.

"This isn't what you wanted," I said quietly, looking out the side window. He was going to be a doctor. We were going to raise our kids together.

"No, not at all," he huffed. "But I've made my peace with it, or at least I've come to accept it. I'm making the best of things, and I'll move on from there."

It turned my stomach to think of what might have been.

"Don't, Edward. I can see you clenching your jaw and feeling sorry for me. I made my bed." He pulled into a parking spot and put the car in park before turning to me with a wicked grin. "Now, let's talk about your bed... In Seattle."

"What?" I laughed, trying not to look nervous.

We'd talked about Bella a fair amount at his cookout, and if he wanted to know more we were getting into dangerous territory where I was hard pressed to know the details.

"Bella's family is from Washington, right? I always thought you'd come back."

"Oh!" I understood what he meant. "Originally, I was. Seattle was just supposed to be a stopping point, but I fell in love with it, not so much the rain, but the city for sure."

"And Bell-la?" He teased, drawing out her name.

"Yeah." I smiled. It was getting easier to think about being in love with her. I was past denying it. I didn't actually know what the stages of love were, but I had butterflies just at the thought of our future together.

"So, you're staying there?"

"I've only got a year left of my residency, and then we'll see. I think if I get a job offer in Seattle we'll stay. Bella just has her dad and her best friend, and she's never lived more than a couple of hours away from them. I think this weekend helped her see that she could have family here, too."

He was quiet for a minute, then he sighed. "Maybe I'll come visit."

"Yeah?" I asked as we stepped out of the car.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I think I will."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

It was late afternoon when we got home and everyone, except for Bella, was in either the kitchen or on the deck. Alice told me she'd gone upstairs to read. I started to help put away the groceries, but Riley waved me off and stepped in to help. I thanked him and made my way upstairs to find Bella.

Slowly, I opened the bedroom door, hoping it wouldn't creak too loud. She was stretched out, asleep, on the bed in what looked like my boxers and a tank top. She didn't stir as I closed the door and made my way across the room.

I stood beside the bed for a second just watching her. I thought about waking her up, but in the end, I moved her book to the nightstand and climbed in bed. Pulling a light blanket over us, I put my arm around her and tucked her against my side. I wasn't tired, but I closed my eyes anyway, simply listening to the sound of her quiet breathing. It was so soothing, after only a few minutes I felt myself drifting off.

When I woke a little while later, she had rolled over so she was spooning against me. Her ass pressed against my groin, and I had to stifle a groan at how good it felt. She was soft and warm, and I wanted nothing more than to wake her up and let me do dirty things to her.

Just then, she sighed and moved back, wiggling and pressing against me. I didn't know if she was sleeping or not, but she was driving me crazy. Since we had sex I wanted to do it again, pretty much all the time, and this was torture.

She sighed again, stretching a little. If she was awake, there was no way she could miss how turned on I was. As I pressed my face into her neck, breathing deep and trying to calm myself down, I felt her hand move on top of my own, linking our fingers together. She made a humming sound in her throat and squeezed my hand.

"Edward?"

"Who else would it be?" I chuckled, kissing her shoulder and gently rocking my hips against her.

"I thought I might be dreaming," she laughed, rolling over to face me.

"Nope," I brushed some of her hair away from her face. "I'm really here."

She closed her eyes and licked her lips. When she looked at me again, her eyes were dark. Her hand was on my hip and it slid down between us, rubbing my length through my shorts.

"Is that for me?" Her voice was breathy and sexy as hell.

"Always," I whispered, although I wasn't sure what I meant by it. I was always hard for her, or it was always for her. She could take it however she wanted as long as she let me take her.

She moaned and practically lunged forward to kiss me. The feel of her lips on mine, hard and frantic, seemed to flip a switch in both of us. In an instant, our hands and mouths were everywhere, desperately kissing and pulling at clothing. Shirts flew in either direction and Bella sat on her knees in front of me on the bed as she shimmied out of her bra.

She said something, but I had no idea what it was. Her naked breasts had my full attention, swaying as she stood to remove her shorts, which were, in fact, my boxers. I wanted her to keep them so I could find her wearing them over and over. It was hot.

"Edward?"

"What?" I swallowed hard, but it was like my brain wouldn't work.

She was back on the bed, pulling at the pants that I had only halfway off. "Please tell me you locked the door."

"Oh, yeah. It's locked."

I'm not sure how I found my voice or strung two words together as she continued crawling up the bed. She didn't stop until she was above me, her knees at my hips and her hands at my shoulders. Then she leaned over, dragging her breasts lightly across my chest as she flipped on the radio on the clock.

I raised an eyebrow and she shrugged before grinning and fusing her mouth to mine again. I groaned and pulled down against me before rolling us over. I reached between us, slipping two fingers into her. She was tight and wet, lifting her hips to meet my hand as her hands pressed hard against my ass.

She was beautiful as she moved beneath me. I wanted to watch her come, and I needed to bury myself in her. She bit my chin as her lips moved over my jaw, and I was done for. I grabbed a condom and rolled it on before lining myself up and sliding my cock through her wetness a couple times. She sat up, leaning on her elbows to be able to see what I was doing..

"Fuck." Her watching us was almost as hot as what we were actually doing.

She shifted hips, and with my next thrust I was pushing inside her. Our past times together had been passionate but restrained. The sex you had when you were still getting to know your partner, but not this time. This was balls-out fucking. I thanked God she'd turned on the radio but wasn't sure it was enough to cover the sounds we both made as I drove into her. Skin slapping, keening cries, muttered curses and gasps. I caught her knees with my arms, pressing them back to hit her even deeper.

"Oh my God! Holy shit."

"You like that?" I knew she did. I didn't need to wait for her answer before thrusting hard into her, again and again.

"Yeah... Ungh. Ah."

I could tell she was close when she deteriorated from actual words to grunts and moans. Her body started to tighten around me and hands fisted in my hair. I couldn't hold off much longer myself, so I started to circle my hips, rubbing her clit with every stroke. It wasn't long before she tensed, throwing her head back against the pillow. I kissed her, swallowing what I could of her cries, as she pulsed around me. With just a couple more thrusts, I fell over the edge too, groaning into her ear as I molded my body to hers.

I moved to roll off her, and she stopped me, wrapping her arms and legs around me.

"Don't. Not yet."

So I stayed where I was, breathing into her neck, my heart pounding in my chest. She rubbed my back as she caught her breath.

"Let's stay here and skip dinner," I whispered, running my nose along her neck before nibbling her ear

"Mm. That's a great idea," she sighed as she put her hands on my cheeks, bringing my mouth to hers for a kiss. It was slow and lazy, the perfect contrast to our earlier fervor.

"Except I'm starving, and I have to pee," she giggled.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Our last day at the beach disappeared as we watched the sun sink down into the water. Bella and I sat on the deck after dinner with the rest of my family, including Riley, enjoying another pitcher of my mother's cocktails. The air was still warm, but Emmett had started a fire anyway.

Everyone was spread out around the copper fire pit, talking and laughing. Riley and Emmett were arguing about baseball while my dad and Jasper discussed some article they'd read in the Wall Street Journal.

Bella sat between my legs on a lounger, talking with Alice and Esme about wedding favors. I tried to listen to what they were saying, knowing Bella would ask for my opinion later, but I couldn't concentrate. She played idly with the hem of my shorts, occasionally tucking a finger under the fabric to brush my skin.

I began to feel overwhelmed and rubbed my hands along her arms. It wasn't about the wedding; thinking about that was oddly comforting. Planning made me feel like this was all leading somewhere. No, what I worried about was the immediate future.

What would happen when we stepped off the plane in Seattle? How would things change between us? We'd been in a fairly isolated bubble for the weekend and, although we'd passed what was most likely our largest test, we were going to surprise friends and co-workers with the announcement that we were engaged. And Bella's father. Christ. How was he going to react? She wanted to tell him in person, which I could totally understand, but I had to convince her to hold off long enough that I could go with her. That was the least I could do. I obviously hadn't asked for his permission, but I felt strongly that I needed his approval.

"Babe, your heart is pounding," Bella whispered, her hand reaching up behind my neck to snake her fingers into my hair.

I leaned into her hand and took a deep breath, but I struggled to find words for what I was feeling. She turned enough that I could see her face, and I felt a million times better.

"What is it?"

I squeezed my arms around her and kissed the side of her head. "I just... got caught up in my head."

Her brows furrowed, and I couldn't help but reach up and try to smooth it out.

"I was thinking about what happens next, when we get home."

"What were you thinking?" She put her hand over my heart, which wasn't helping me calm down at all. .

I wasn't sure what to tell her. Yes, I was scared, but more than anything I was frightened of how hopeful I felt. I sighed and let my head fall back against the chair.

"I don't want things to change."

"Edward," she scooted forward, then turned around, so she was facing me, her legs draped over each of mine. Her hands came up to my shoulders, and she leaned close to me. "It won't change. We'll see each other as often as we can. I've got another two months before school starts so I'll be available whenever you have time off—whatever time that is."

Fuck. I hadn't even thought about my crazy schedule.

"You two are so cute," my mother giggled. "Look at them, Carlisle. They're so happy! Do you remember that time when you were still in med school..." Emmett groaned and, thankfully, her voice trailed off.

Bella's eyes darted to my parents but came right back to me.

"We're going to be fine." Her voice was quiet but firm, full of conviction. It was exactly what I needed. She smirked, raising an eyebrow, and I wondered what she was thinking.

"We made it through this weekend, didn't we? What can be harder than this?"

She had a point. We could worry about things until we were blue in the face, but we'd made it through the biggest hurdle of them all. The rest we could handle together with this victory under our belts.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:**

*Sigh* The trip is over... It's time to head back to Seattle, real life and Charlie. Wonder how all of that is going to work out?

As usual, thanks so much for reading. I'm so glad you're all here, still enjoying the story.

**RECs -**

Here's what I've been reading... And, because FF is nutty and sometimes folks can't find the stories I've mentioned here, I created a FFCommunity with all of the fics I've rec'd you in AiL. It's called "What I've Been Reading Recs" - I know, not very original. Feel free to follow the community, and it'll alert you if I add something to it. (You can find a link to it on my profile down by my stories/favorites, etc.)

**Cursive **by **pheobe44** (WIP 18 ch - E's nickname for B is swoony... and Fourteen? We're having a love affair. JS. This story has all the feels. *sigh*) Summary: Bella has been running from her past for a year, living a nomadic lifestyle. Edward has fought his demons, but still needs to learn how to move on. They meet, they fall, and they try to help each other heal. The toughest obstacles they battle? Themselves. M, AH, subject matter may be sensitive to some readers.

**Departures** by **TheFicChick**(Amazing o/s. You should read her other o/s too. And then convince this author to write us full length fics. LOL) Summary: "Every day for the rest of my life, I will wonder how kissing a virtual stranger goodbye could have felt like a hello."


	19. Status

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 19: Status**

Warning/Disclaimer:I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N: **I am complete fail at review replies this time. Real life = complete insanity. Trust me, you don't want to know. LOL Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for reading. I truly appreciate it. I'm amazed with every update when my box fills up with messages from FFnet. You guys are the greatest.

Thanks to **Greenabsinthia,** **SydneyGen **and **Seastarr08** for taking the time to pre-read/beta and allowing me to drop chapters in their laps at all hours of the day.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

BPOV

We said our goodbyes before going to bed, and they were much more casual than I expected. For the closeness of Edward's family, I'd expected a few tears and maybe some pleas for us to come back, but there were none of those. There were tight hugs and giggles and promises to see us soon. Before I knew it, it was done and everyone went to bed. Then, after only a few hours of sleep, Carlisle helped Edward load our bags into his Audi and took us to the airport. I was still half asleep when we stood at the curb and Carlisle hugged me, saying goodbye as he kissed my forehead.

"It was so good to meet you, Bella. Thank you for traveling out here with Edward," he paused and shook his head, laughing quietly, "and for deciding you still want to be a part of this circus after meeting us."

I chuckled a little, thinking how right he was. Their family was certainly a circus, but the weekend had taught me that I fit right in.

"Thank you for everything. It was wonderful meeting all of you, too."

He patted my back and stepped over to Edward, giving him a quick hug before heading back to the car.

"Have a good flight. Call your mother when you get to Seattle, son!"

He smiled and waved one last time, opening the door and climbing in. It was a sad moment. When he disappeared from view, I realized I would miss him. I would miss all of them.

I'd never expected to feel so comfortable with Edward's family. I felt like I'd known them all for years rather than just a couple of days. Even Rose, despite our rocky start, seemed to have softened over the weekend. I was still hesitant when it came to her, but I was hopeful, too. Every minute, the idea that I was becoming a Cullen was more and more of a reality, and I wanted them, all of them, to like me.

We had a direct flight, but we were still traveling all the way across the country. It was surprisingly only a six hour flight, and because of the time change we gained three hours back. With jet lag and time differences, I was exhausted when we finally made it to Sea-Tac and I wasn't quite ready for our trip to end.

When Edward asked if I wanted to get something to eat I said yes right away. The thought of going back to my apartment without him was depressing. We grabbed lunch out, knowing there wasn't any food at his condo.

I mentioned I felt grimy after the flight, and he offered a shower and a nap at his place. It sounded so good, I didn't think twice. I texted Angela to say I was back but going to Edward's for a bit. We grabbed a shower and a nap before splitting some pad thai and watching a movie. I wondered if Edward wasn't ready to say goodbye either. Eventually, we sat on opposite ends of his couch with our feet tangled together and eyes heavy. His cheek rested on the back of the couch as he slid his foot along my calf.

"I have to work in the morning."

I pouted. Part of me wanted to stay hidden in our own world forever, or for at least a few more hours.

"I should take you home so I can get some sleep." He sighed, but made no move to get off the couch.

"Or I could stay," I whispered. It was out of my mouth before I knew I was saying it.

He grinned and sat up, moving closer. "Yeah?"

"Sure," I shrugged. "Drop me off on your way to work."

"You're going to miss me!"

"What?" I gave his shoulder a slap, laughing. "No! I'm sick of you, I just don't want you to drive right now because you're so tired."

"Oh, really?" He reached down and pulled me towards him so I was sitting in his lap.

"Mm hm." I tried not to smile. "You're old, I don't want you to fall asleep at the wheel or anything." He wasn't that old, only a couple of years older than me but still, it was worth teasing him about.

"That's it!"

He launched himself towards me, and I fell back against the couch as he ticked my sides and laughed. We writhed and fought, both laughing while I screamed a couple of times and tried to get out of his grasp. It wasn't long before I was so out of breath I had to beg him to stop.

"Stop! Oh my God! I give!" I panted and pushed him off of me. He grinned back, and I noticed he wasn't breathing hard at all.

He raised a brow. "Who's old?"

"Apparently, not you."

His mouth tilted into that smug panty dropping smile that made me weak. "That is correct."

We sat for a few seconds, just looking at each other until his smile began to droop.

"I don't want you to go home, either." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "How am I going to sleep tomorrow night without you?"

I stood and reached for his hand. I wanted to say that I'd come over again, but practically moving in with him was not the answer, not yet anyway.

"Let's go to bed. We'll figure out the rest tomorrow."

He stood, but wouldn't let me pull him down the hallway. "My schedule is kind of crazy this week."

"I know. We'll talk about it tomorrow. I'll make you dinner."

"Bella..."

I knew what he was getting at. We'd just spent the entire day alone together, traveling and then in his apartment, but we'd neglected to talk about the one thing we needed to. It was getting late though, and we were both tired.

To be honest, I needed a day to get my head around everything. The Cullen's were a powerful force. Being with them made anything seem possible, but I needed a clear head to think about my relationship with Edward and what our engagement meant for our real lives.

"Tomorrow." I cupped his cheek and stretched up to kiss his cheek.

He closed his eyes for a second and nodded before following me down the hall.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

After Edward dropped me off in the morning, I started my laundry and tried to re-acclimate myself to my apartment. It didn't feel like home anymore. It was just a place to sleep and a closet full of clothes. I couldn't believe how different it felt after only a few days, but the same could be said about my feelings for Edward. The way I felt about him had magnified by leaps and bounds in those few days as well.

I made a quick trip to the store, then found some lunch and took a short nap. When I woke, I switched loads of laundry and tucked into the corner of the couch. I wanted to read, but my mind wandered and I ended up listening to the clothes in the dryer, something metal hitting and sliding along the drum with each spin.

I thought about how to go about telling everyone I was engaged and wondered if a simple Facebook change of status would be cheating. I didn't have a lot of friends, but I liked the teachers on my team at work. They weren't the kind of people I would call out of the blue, so perhaps I wasn't too far off base with the Facebook idea.

I was still sitting on the couch when Ang came in, looking like death. She was practically in slow motion compared to her normal pace.

"'Sup?" She nodded at me and grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and leaned on the breakfast bar.

"Who are you and what have you done with my roommate?"

"It's me." She snorted. "After a full day of work with only two hours of sleep."

"What's up with that?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Up," she giggled, and I rolled my eyes. She was a pervy whore. And I loved it about her. "Garrett has to work like the next three nights, and I'm still teaching summer school, so we stayed up way too late spending some quality time together."

"Quality time between the sheets?"

"And on the counter. And in the shower. And on the-"

"TMI! I don't need to know any more, and thank God you were at his place!"

"You've been gone for days," she said, waggling her eyebrows as she came over to join me on the couch. "You have no idea what's happened in this very apartment!"

"Ew! Stop! You're just mean!"

She pulled her legs up beneath her and rested turned to face me. "Enough about me... Spill."

"What?"

"Spill your guts. The low-down. The 411."

"Oh God, you're incorrigible." I threw a pillow at her. "I missed you."

"I know. Now, tell me all about the hot sex with my BF's BFF."

"You know I don't kiss and tell!" I laughed, then sighed because I actually did want to talk to her about Edward, just not the sex part. "But I do need to talk to you about him."

"Yeah?" She sat a little straighter and nodded, encouraging me to start.

"I just... I don't know how to—what do I call it? Come out to everyone?"

"Yeah, don't call it that."

I rolled my eyes. I was serious.

"I should tell my dad first, right?"

I knew that was the right thing to do, I just had to work through the logistics. His work schedule was set a month in advance and, since he was single and I'd moved away, he worked a lot of nights. I had to find a time when both he and Edward were off, and we had enough time to drive out there and get back.

"For sure. Who else are you worried about? I already know, and you don't actually talk to too many people outside of work. I mean, Lauren and Jess from undergrad, but you haven't talked to them in a few months anyway, have you?"

"No. I sound kind of pathetic right now, you know that, right?"

"Bells, you're a person with few friends and many acquaintances. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, in this situation, it's perfect. You tell your dad, then change your status on Facebook to being in a relationship with Edward. It makes sense because I can guarantee his nosey family members are going to send you friend requests, and they're going to wonder why you're listed as single. You can say you were waiting to tell your dad in person."

"Wow. That's... Sneaky, and it just might work."

"Exactly, and I don't think anyone else is watching your profile that closely, except maybe Paul, douchebag, so you probably won't truly have to tell anyone the whole story until you go back to work. By then they probably won't remember you were single when school got out. Except Mike Newton," she sipped her water, "cuz he wants in your pants."

"What is with you and the grossness today? That's just...Gah! No!"

"I speak the truth."

She shrugged and pulled her phone out of her pocket, glancing at the screen and grinning from ear to ear. She typed something and giggled before tucking it back in her pants.

"Oh my God. You really like him."

It wasn't that I thought she didn't like Garrett, or that she was stringing him along, I just hadn't realized that she truly liked him. She'd been single for so long I wondered if she knew what the word boyfriend meant anymore, but the look on her face told me she did.

She bit her lip, and it was so un-Angela I couldn't help but laugh.

"You're in like!"

"Well, if I'm in like, you're in looooove!" She stretched the word out, laughing.

"What? No. I'm not in-" Holy shit. Was I? I knew that I _could_ love him, but did I, already?

"You love him. You feel all googly and mushy when you think about him."

I kind of did. And I blushed a lot thinking about him. Even more when he was around.

"And that!" She pointed to the red rising on my neck and cheeks.

"Everything makes me blush," I waved her off and glanced at my watch. It was time for me to get up and start getting dinner ready and the perfect opportunity to change the subject. "I'm making Edward chicken piccata. You sticking around?"

"Nah, I think I'm going to run to the store and then I'm going to crash. I'm exhausted, but you two have fun."

"Alright. Dinner tomorrow?"

"Sure." We both stood, and she gave me a quick hug before heading into her bedroom.

I made my way to the kitchen and peeled some potatoes. By the time Edward called to say he was on his way from the hospital, they were boiled and mashed, and I had the chicken flattened and ready to cook.

He flopped in a dining chair when he arrived, putting his head in his hands.

"Tired, Doc?" I kneaded his shoulders, finding a sizeable knot of muscle on one side.

"Ugh. So tired. And starved. I missed lunch."

I wondered if he'd be up for our talk, but knew that either way I needed to get food in his stomach. The rest, we could deal with after we ate.

"Well, you're in luck. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes." I gave his shoulders one last squeeze before making my way to the stove to cook the chicken. "Why don't you grab a shower, and I'll have this ready to serve when you're done?"

He nodded, then followed me into the kitchen for a quick kiss before disappearing into my bathroom.

Dinner was brief and fairly quiet, neither of us saying much until we finished.

"That was delicious. I had no idea you could cook like that."

"Thank you." I blushed a little, embarrassed by the compliment. Before I could stop myself, I chuckled, and continued, "Just think, someday you'll be able to come home to home cooked meals like that every day."

He looked at me blankly for a second, then a grin covered his entire face. I couldn't believe I'd just said that, but he had that effect on me. Besides, I'd started to accept it as the truth, so it seemed to roll off my tongue.

"Speaking of," he grinned. "When are we going to see your dad so we can give him the good news?"

"Angela and I talked about that today actually, announcing our engagement and everything."

"And what did you come up with?"

"Tentatively, we decided that we need to go see my dad, and then we'll both change our Facebook statuses."

"At the same time?"

"I guess you could change yours now. Ang thought if we waited until after we told my dad, then we could say we hadn't told anyone until both our families knew."

"That makes sense," he nodded. "Did Alice send you a friend request yet? She's always on Facebook."

"Um, I haven't checked it today." I bit my lip, nervous about Alice colliding with my real life. "I put up a couple of pictures from the trip last week, though."

"That's good." He grinned. "It establishes a timeline."

"You're really getting into this."

"I am. It's helping me not think about the fact your father is going to pull a gun on me."

"He won't pull a...Well, it won't be loaded, anyway."

"Not helping, Swan." He sighed. "When do I meet the executioner?"

I threw my napkin at him, and he held up his hands laughing.

"Okay, okay. Really, how are we going to make this work? It sounds like your dad's schedule is just as crazy as mine."

"Yeah," I agreed. "But I called up there today, and he's off next week Tuesday when you're off too."

"Really? That soon?"

I laughed at the look on his face. "How long did you think you had?"

"I don't know, a couple of weeks?" He chuckled, running his hand through his hair. "It's fine, really. It'll be good. I'm looking forward to meeting the man who raised you."

I loved how he got me. We hadn't talked about my mom, and as far as I was concerned we weren't going to. There was only one group of people we hadn't talked about.

"What are you going to tell people at the hospital?"

He looked at me as if he didn't understand what I was asking.

"Your co-workers, what are we telling them?"

"Sorry," he shook his head, "I thought you knew. I told them we were dating a long time ago, after that first time you came to the hospital; I guess I sort of used you to get some nurses to leave me alone."

My cheeks heated up. I knew people had seen me at the hospital with him, but I had no idea that he'd already told them we were together. I was surprised that he'd been so open with them, but it made me feel a little better, as if he'd wanted something more with me for almost as long as I'd wanted it with him.

"I don't have too many friends outside of the hospital. A couple of guys Garrett and I play basketball with, but that's really all. I've been so busy with work since I moved out here I haven't had time to meet anyone else."

He shrugged and smiled. "After we tell your dad I'll mention our engagement to a couple of nurses who are prone to gossiping, and everyone will know within a day or two."

It couldn't be that easy, could it? Just a day ago he'd sat behind me and nearly had a panic attack thinking about coming home, but he seemed much calmer.

"You're not worried?" I was anxious, so I played with my glass on the table, needing something to do with my hands. "I thought you were afraid things were going to change."

"I was, but I spent all day telling people how great our trip was, and I realized I don't care what anyone else thinks—if they think we don't know each other well enough to be engaged or that we jumped into things. The only way things are going to change between us is if we let it, and I don't see that happening. I want to be with you, and I want this to work. That's all that matters."

My heart sped up as I listened to his words and watched the emotion flare in his eyes. I wanted it to be that simple, but the world was full of busy-bodies and people who thought they knew what was best for everyone else. I knew that, like Rose, there were going to be people who thought I was after his money, or I was pregnant. I wanted to believe that Edward and I were the only two who mattered, it just didn't seem possible. Why couldn't I just embrace this and stop wondering when the other shoe was going to drop?

"Stop," he said quietly, taking my hand and drawing me towards him. I stood and moved to his side where he gently pulled me onto his lap. "Stop worrying. We're not lying anymore, remember? What do people have to be upset about, that they didn't know we were dating or that we got engaged too soon? It's none of their business."

I sighed and let myself relax into the hug. His hands began to slowly slide up and down my back, and I put my head on his shoulder.

"I'm afraid something is going to go wrong."

"I'm sure things will go wrong, but we'll deal with them. You want this, right? You want to marry me?"

"Yes." I tightened my arms around his neck. I felt like my head was all over the place, but that was one thing I did know.

"Then we'll be fine. I promise."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N: **

Sometimes it's hard to imagine what we did before Facebook, isn't it? I'm amazed at how much social media has infiltrated my life! (And I'm both dumbfounded and a little awed by the people who are still immune to it!) So... next time Edward meets the executioner, I mean Charlie. LOL I can't wait for you to see how that turns out! Thanks so much for reading!

**Fic Recs: (Two _totally_ different fics. LOL)**

I think I actually read this before the last update, but whatever - I'm way late to the party with this fic either way. I should have listened to **HollBeth** and read it right away. It is dark and twisty, and OH SO GOOD.

**Prey for the Wicked** by **Aleeb4u **(WIP w/16 chapters) A vampire finds the true meaning of temptation, an innocent beauty with a siren's blood. Is she prey for the wicked or the answer to a prayer for salvation? When love knows no bounds and obsession has no reason, where do you draw the line? AU/EB Darkward

And now for something nothing like the fic above... LOL

If you're not reading **Because of a Boy** by **Cutestkidsmom** you need to get on it. It is such a sweet fic. It's T rated, but please don't let that stop you (ya pervy hoors!). I am in love with this Edward...and Bella's son...and Edward's dad. I can't describe it any better than the summary...

(WIP 11 chapters) Edward is the son of an Autistic father. Bella is the mother of an Autistic son. What happens when their paths cross. Can they find peace and love with in the chaos. Rated T for minor language and some adult situations. (*Note - it's written by the mother of an Autistic son)


	20. Executioner's Song

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 20: Executioner's Song**

Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N:** Thank you so much for reading. I'm blown away that this silly little story about finding love on Craigslist is now over 2,100 reviews. I've got to say though, you guys worry - a lot. LOL If I haven't told you, this is fluffy - I won't pull stalkers or evil rabbits out of my hat. Deep breaths. Our kids will be fine.

Also - I'm seriously impressed by those of you who said you are Facebook free. I heard somewhere that people growing up today won't understand the concept of lost friends because social media will make it so easy for everyone to keep in touch. I'm not sure I buy it entirely, but it's one of those things that makes you think...

Thanks to **Greenabsinthia,** **SydneyGen **and **Seastarr08** for taking the time to pre-read/beta. I love it when they leave me chatty and goofy comments while they remind me of my repeated violations of comma and other grammar rules.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

_EPOV_

Bella and I fell into an easy pattern in the week leading up to our drive to Forks. She was still on summer break, so it was easy to rearrange her plans around my schedule. She cooked and brought me dinner at the hospital and waited up for me when I worked late. We hung out as much as we could, continuing to get to know each other and learning all of those things that only come out when you spend time with someone.

We told stories about growing up, and I was constantly amazed at how little of a childhood she'd had. Her mother left when she was a toddler, and though her father tried to let her be a kid, he still relied on her to help take care of the house. She learned to cook at an early age, joking that Hamburger Helper and tuna casserole were her specialties until she was old enough to shop on her own. Most of the stories about her parents made my chest hurt, wishing that she'd had an easier time, that she had laughed more and been a little irresponsible.

She told me about trick or treating in a snowsuit because Charlie had forgotten to get her a costume. All I could think about were the elaborate, and certainly expensive, costumes my mother had bought us every year.

"Wow, that's sad. Your childhood was... Practically non-existent."

"You're so dramatic." She shrugged. "At least Charlie _tried _to let me be a kid, you know? He gave me a curfew and even grounded me a couple of times. I'm sure he thinks I'm a virgin and that I didn't see an R rated movie until I was seventeen." She gave a wry laugh. "When I visited my mom, she didn't seem to care what I did. She let me swear, introduced me to every guy she dated, and let me see totally inappropriate movies. I found her vibrator on the couch when I was twelve."

"Oh my god!" I laughed in shock and disbelief. "Did you even know what it was?"

She raised an eyebrow. "It was a rubber penis with an on/off switch; I made an educated guess. I never sat on that cushion again."

"Jesus. That's just...Wrong." I shook my head. It was so hard to imagine her living like that— motherless.

"It's what I knew. I heard people talk about how great their moms were, and I didn't have anything to compare it to, you know? She was never like a mother."

"I'm so sorry you missed out on that. My mom is crazy, but she's everything to me."

"It's hard to miss what you never had." She stretched out on the couch, wedging her toes under my leg. "The ladies in town sort of stepped in when my mom left. I stayed at the neighbor's house before and after school when my dad had to work. She was this little old lady who gave me stale cookies and made us fruitcake at Christmas. I had Angela's mom for, like when I got my period and stuff. But Angela's a PK, you know? A preacher's kid? So her mom was a total Pollyanna."

She paused and chuckled as if she was remembering something. "She didn't let us swear or drink pop, and she made us volunteer at the food pantry in the summer. It was totally foreign to me. Ang would complain, but I just wanted to be like, 'You don't get it - your mom gives a shit!'"

Her cheeks were pink, and I could tell she was getting upset. Her mother was a topic that rarely came up, so while I took advantage of the opportunity to learn a little more about their fucked up relationship, I knew it was time to lighten the mood and change the subject.

"Well, you've won over my family," I teased, "so count my mom as another female role model."

She grinned. "Oh yes, Wonder Vodka Woman is a strong role model."

"You can only hope to be an alcohol infused super-hero like her."

"It's a long-term goal of mine."

"Then let me fix you a drink." I moved to stand, but she grabbed my hand, shaking her head.

"Stay here with me."

She pulled me towards her, adjusting our bodies, so we were stretched out on her couch facing each other.

"What's up?" I brushed a lock of hair over her shoulder and trailed my finger down the line of her neck.

She shrugged again. If there was one thing I had learned about Bella as we got to know each other, it was that she was a shrugger. They meant all different things—I don't know, I don't care, who knows, whatever. They were never really ambiguous, and usually accompanied by a few words or an expression on her face that made her meanings clear.

"I just needed a hug."

"Mm, can't argue with that."

I slid an arm under her and pulled her into my arms. She snuggled into my chest, and I ran my hand through her hair.

"Better?"

"Perfect," she sighed.

I listened to her breathing even out and kissed the top of her head before falling asleep with her, wrapped up together in the late afternoon sun that streamed through her window, warming my back.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

"Do you really think Charlie will like me?"

"Don't call him Charlie. Call him Chief."

"You call him Charlie."

"I'm his daughter."

"Yes, so you should call him Dad."

"You call Carlisle, well, Carlisle."

"I call him Dad, too. I wouldn't call him Doctor."

"Whatever."

She turned on her blinker and checked the mirrors before changing lanes. We were about halfway to Forks, heading west on US101, and I was getting increasingly nervous.

"Do you think he'll have his guns out?"

"If it's not already on his hip."

She sipped a Diet Coke and fiddled with her iPod until I grabbed it out of her hand.

"Let me do this, you're driving."

"Fine," she rolled her eyes and laughed. "Find the mix called 'Road Trip.'"

I clicked and scrolled through her iPod until I found it and Neil Young's Harvest Moon came on. I grinned, remembering when I stole an earphone on our flight to New York and found the same playlist full of songs she and her dad had listened to together.

She glanced over at me before looking back at the road. "You okay?"

"Yes. No." I ran my hand through my hair and let out a deep breath. "I can't imagine this is going to go all that well."

"He knows I went to New York with you. I've only introduced him to one other boyfriend, and that was in high school. And really, he already knew Eric. Forks is small, and with Charlie being Chief, he knows everyone. He knew that Eric had tried to shoplift a toy truck when he was in elementary school—I didn't even know that."

"So, what you're saying is that the Chief has most likely run a background check on me, and I shouldn't lie about that public urination ticket in college?"

She laughed, her hand coming off the steering wheel and covering her chest. "Oh my God. No lying, and we'll get back to that story, but maybe? I told him not to look you up, but he's sort of a loose canon. He probably did it anyway."

"I'm just kidding. It wouldn't be on my record. Shit. I mean I didn't get the ticket, but I was there when Riley did."

She gave me a raised eyebrow, and I knew I had to explain.

"It was all Riley, really."

"I'm sure it was. Spill, Doc. You better tell me before Charlie does."

"Alright. So, Saint Patrick's day in New York City is kind of a big thing." I glanced over to see her holding back a smile. "The first year Ry and I were twenty-one, we went to this Irish pub in Manhattan, McSorley's. It's kind of touristy, but it's like, the oldest continuously open saloon in the city or something, so it's a landmark too. Anyway, Riley decides that it's the place we have to go for Saint Patty's, and he convinces a bunch of our frat brothers to go, too."

"This isn't going to end well," Bella deadpans.

"You already know the punchline," I laugh.

"Yes, but the build up is giving me anxiety. How the hell did he get a ticket?"

"We started drinking really early, like before noon, and eventually made our way to the bar. It was like, hours of drinking beer and doing shots of whiskey with no food in our stomachs. We were having a blast. I don't remember exactly what was going on; I just remember how much fun we were having—like it was on track to be one of the best days we'd all had together."

"Until..."

"Yeah, until I realize just how drunk my cousin is. The dude could hardly stand. He was wobbling and slurring his words, staring down some girls shirt at her cleavage, so I decide it's time to head home. I mean, we had friends practically passed out at the table, but I was trying to be responsible-"

"But you were drunk, too."

"Right, but not that drunk."

She gave me a look that said she didn't believe that.

"Alright, I was shit faced too, but I was aware enough to know the day needed to end. So we sort of stagger towards the subway station and Ry decides he has to go to the bathroom."

"He did not."

"Oh, he did. Whipped it out and took the longest piss known to man on the side of a building. He took so damn long some cops came around the corner and busted him. We tried to get them to call Emmett, but it was just too busy—Saint Patty's and all. Anyway, he lucked out, and it got thrown out of court on a technicality. It's not actually supposed to show up on his record, but I don't know what the Chief has access to."

She laughed so hard she had to wipe away tears. "I'm so glad you and Riley are friends again."

"That's what you got out of that?"

"Shut up!" She reached over and smacked my chest with her hand. "I mean it though, I'm glad you worked things out or whatever. And don't worry about Charlie, it's not like we're asking his permission."

I groaned. She wasn't helping.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

A while later, we pulled into a driveway behind a City of Forks Police cruiser. The house was a two story bungalow, well kept, and only a few blocks from the city center.

Bella shifted the car into park and reached over to squeeze my hand. "Ready?"

I was as ready as I was going to be, so I nodded and climbed out of the car. We walked up to the house and went right inside.

"Charlie?"

"In here!"

We followed his voice to the living room, where I saw her father in person for the first time. I had seen pictures of him, and Bella clearly had his hair and eyes, but seeing them together it was obvious they were related. He sat on the couch, legs spread and elbows on his knees. It was what I called Bella's sports watching pose, and it was clear she had inherited it from her dad.

"You made good time." He was still in his uniform shirt, but his gun belt was off, along with his gun, sitting on the coffee table.

"Jesus, Charlie." She ignored his attempt at small talk and shook her head before grabbing the gun, thoroughly freaking me out. She held it carefully and levelled an evil eye at her father. "Now."

"Aw, Bells, it was a joke."

"Not funny. Lock it up, and come meet Edward."

"Sorry," he mumbled as he stood and disappeared down the hallway.

She turned to me and put her arms around me. I hesitated for a second, the fear of pissing off her father warring with my own need to be close to her, before giving in and hugging her back.

"I'll remind him to behave."

"It's okay. I expect him to grill me."

"Grill you, yes; be a total cliche, no." She sighed. "Why don't you freshen up real quick? The bathroom is at the top of the stairs."

I cupped her cheek. "You don't need to do this."

"Go upstairs. When you come back my father will be relatively normal."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Bella and the Chief were waiting for me when in the kitchen when I came down the stairs. She introduced us, and he sheepishly apologized again. We went out for a late lunch at the local diner and managed to make small talk while avoiding the reason for our trip.

When we made it back to the house, Charlie headed straight for the living room and turned on the TV. Bella grabbed him a beer from the kitchen and, after handing it to him, turned off the television and stood in front of it.

"Charlie, we have something to tell you."

His face got visibly pale.

"It's not that. Jeez, Charlie. I've been on birth control forever."

"Okay, that I don't need to know." He pointed his beer at her and gave me a quick look before training his attention back on Bella. "What's this 'we' business about?" .

I cleared my throat and put my arm around her. "We came to visit so that I could meet you, and so we could tell you in person that I've asked Bella to marry me."

His eyebrows went up, and he looked hard at his daughter for a second. "You're engaged?" She nodded. "To be married?"

"That's usually what it means."

"Don't sass me, young lady." He took a long drink of his beer before rubbing his hand over his mustache and looking at me. "Your family okay with this?"

"They are," I answered, nodding. "They love Bella."

"Of course they do." He snorted, as if it was impossible to think someone wouldn't love her. I had to agree with that, actually.

"Hmpf. You two hardly know each other. I never heard you talk about him until he was taking you to New York. You sure you're ready to get married?"

"How long did you know mom before you knew you wanted to marry her?"

"Bells, that's not really a relationship you want to model your life after, and you know it."

"Chief, I know we haven't been together long, but," I glanced down at Bella, "we just know it's right. I want a future with your daughter, and I want it to start as soon as possible."

Charlie rolled his eyes and Bella sniffed beside me, wiping her eyes. Did she not get that? I thought I'd been pretty clear. If there was one thing I saw in my future, it was her.

"I realize you kids feel like you're head over heels in love, or whatever, I felt that once too, and look how that worked out."

"You had Bella," I said firmly as I felt her body stiffen. "I'd say it was one of the best decisions you ever made."

Bella's arm tightened around my waist, and she turned slightly, so she could rest her head on my chest.

"Don't put words in my mouth. I don't regret having Bella at all. She's the best thing I ever did, but," he sighed, "watching my marriage fall apart was a nightmare. I just don't want you kids to go through that."

"Charlie, what happened between you and mom was bad," Bella said sadly. "I get that but please, don't compare us to you two. I think Edward and I have both proved that we're more responsible than Renee has ever been. Neither one of us will walk away without giving it everything we've got."

"How do I know what he's proved?" He threw his hands up. "This is the first time I'm meeting him!"

"I have an undergraduate degree from Columbia, and I went to medical school at Hopkins. I'm in my final year of residency for emergency medicine, and I've lived apart from my family for almost ten years. If anything, I feel like my life has been on hold for years, like I needed to find something before I could truly start living. I've found it—her—and I don't see the point in putting it off. I want a life with Bella. If that's not enough proof..."

I shook my head and looked down at Bella, who had tears running down her face. I wanted to pull her into my arms and never let her go. She reached up to cup my cheek and stretched on her toes to give me a quick kiss.

"Bella, let me have a word with Edward."

"What?" Her head whipped around to face him, and her entire body tensed again. She wiped at her face and huffed. "He just explained-"

"I know what he said," Charlie's voice was sharp, and he sighed before speaking again, softly, "and I appreciate it, but I need to talk to him man to man for a minute."

"It's okay, Bella." I moved my hand up under her hair and rubbed the back of her neck with my thumb. "He just wants to talk."

Fuck, I hoped that was all he wanted to do. I hoped I had said enough that he didn't want to shoot me.

Bella gave her head a quick shake, flipping her hair back over her shoulder, and stood up straighter.

"Fine. I'm going to go upstairs to call Angela. I'll be back in about ten minutes." She paused and put a hand on her hip. "There is no reason for you to get anything out of the gun case, correct?"

Charlie pursed his lips and rolled his eyes at her.

"Whatever. Ten minutes," she repeated.

She gave me a squeeze around the waist and made her way up stairs, leaving me alone with the Chief, who still didn't seem excited, or even mildly happy, about our engagement.

"Have a seat," he said as he stood, confusing the hell out of me.

He walked to the kitchen, and I heard the refrigerator door open and close. Returning with two beers, he handed me one and sat back down on the couch.

"Sit." He motioned towards a well-worn Lazy Boy, and I took a seat.

He sighed and took a sip of beer but kept his eyes on me the whole time.

"I understand that you've gone to school, and you're going to be a doctor, but what makes you sure marriage is the way to go? Why not date her for a little longer and be sure?"

"That's just it, sir. I am sure. I've been sure almost since the moment I met her. It scared the hell out of me, but it's the truth."

He continued to watch me with no real expression on his face. The man had to be a hell of a poker player.

"I saw the ring on her finger. Your family has a fancy beach house, but you couldn't buy her a diamond?"

Not for the first time, I wanted to shoot myself for not giving her Grammy's ring sooner.

"It happened so fast, the proposal wasn't really planned," I explained. "I want her to have my grandmother's ring, but I hadn't gotten it yet when I jumped in and proposed. I got it last week though, and I'll give it to her soon."

"What are you waiting for?"

I sat my beer on the coffee table and wiped my hands on the coffee table.

"I'm waiting for the right time. I mean, we're officially engaged already, but I still want it to be special, I don't want to just hand it to her. I want it to mean something. That sounds ridiculous, but I have a plan. I'm giving it to her soon, I swear."

"Look, I don't know you. I won't lie and say I didn't look into you when she told me your name, but the only thing on your record is a parking ticket. So I know you're not a serial killer or you're quite good at covering your tracks."

I snorted and he raised an eyebrow before continuing.

"I'm not thrilled about this, but I'm not an idiot. I know I can't tell her, or you, that you can't do this. You're engaged, and I'm just going to have to get used to it. While I appreciate you coming up here and telling me face to face, I wish I could have gotten to know you _before_ the two of you got engaged."

"I understand. And thank you, for realizing that we're going to go through with this."

"Shit, I know my daughter. Once she gets something in her head there's no changing her mind." He chuckled, and I swore I saw the corner of his mouth lift into a smile for a second before it straightened back out. "You're gonna have to give me a little time to get used to this, alright?"

"Of course." I could give him all the time in the world if it meant he wasn't going to shoot me.

"You're going to take good care of her?"

He looked me in the eye, and I held his gaze.

"The best."

He gave a quick nod. "Do me a favor, ask Bella to come down here, and give me a minute to talk to her? I need to smooth things over before you head back to the city."

"Thank you, Chief, for giving us a chance," I said as I stood.

"You mean for not shooting you." He huffed. "Her room's next to the bathroom."

"That too," I called over my shoulder as I went up the stairs to Bella's room.

I knocked twice, and Bella invited me in.

"You survived?" she laughed.

"I did, but it's your turn."

"Oh, hell."

"It's okay," I cupped her cheek. "I think he wants to apologize."

"How did the two of you leave off?"

"That he's bummed he didn't know me before you agreed to marry me, but he's willing to get to know me."

"That's a good start."

"I thought so, much better than sending me packing at gunpoint."

She licked her lips and smiled, her eyes getting dark as she stepped closer to me.

I swallowed, hard. "I have no idea what you think is hot about that, but if you don't stop looking at me like that I'm going to throw you down on that tiny bed and make you scream my name."

She whimpered, her mouth falling open. .

"Not helping." I took a step back. "Go talk to your father, the Chief, with the guns."

She laughed as I turned her body and physically pushed her towards the door. I listened to the stairs creak as she made her way down, then let myself finally take in what was her childhood bedroom. It was full of all things Bella—movie and concert ticket stubs, pictures of her and Angela, a Mariner's pennant and a Forks Spartan's bumper sticker. There were some books on a shelf in the corner, and I made my way over to look at the titles.

I thought about our little road trip. It had gone better than I imagined. I didn't seriously think her father would shoot me, not really, but after a week and a half of joking about it, it had been a faint possibility in the back of my mind. I was glad, more than that, ecstatic, that Charlie was accepting of our engagement and willing to get to know me. I didn't know how Bella would have reacted if he had put his foot down and tried to talk her out of things.

Suddenly, I realized it was entirely possible that was what he was downstairs doing. He was a schooled investigator and clearly a master at masking his emotions. Maybe he had just let me believe he was okay with everything and he was down there telling Bella to break things off.

I walked to the doorway and put my hand on the knob, freezing when I realized I could hear them.

"Do you love him?" Charlie asked, and I could hear the concern for his daughter in his voice.

My heart pounded in anticipation of her answer. Bella and I had yet to say 'I love you.' That was something else I needed to take care of, and soon. I needed Bella to know that not only was our engagement real, so were my feelings for her.

"Daddy," she sighed, "I agreed to marry him."

"Don't try to distract me by calling me Daddy for the first time in forever. You didn't answer the question."

There was a long pause, and my throat felt so tight I could hardly breathe.

"I love him."

My forehead fell against the door with a quiet thud that I prayed they couldn't hear. I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath. She loved me. I grinned, and her father said the same words that were running through my head.

"Then that's all that matters, baby."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N: **In the end, that's all it's really about, right? Love. *sigh* I wonder what Edward is planning?

Thanks so much for reading. You guys rock my socks. I'm honored that you're all along for the ride. See you in two weeks!

**Rec's** - both are hidden gems, IMHO

**The Distance In Between** by **Sunflowersongs** (WIP 13 chapters so far)  
>I've mentioned my love for Civil War fics, right? Not gonna lie, the last update left me a little sobby.<br>Edward Cullen, a Union cavalry officer during the Civil War, is found wounded and healed back to health by Bella Swan. Perhaps something even more precious is found and lost in the process.

**Corporate Affairs** by **chocaholic123 **(WIP 20 chapters so far)  
>Unionward and consultella have some UNFy chemistry. I'll warn you there's talk of Bella with another boyfriend...but he's a douche and the story is EB focused. MKay?  
>Bella is a Management Consultant who works hard and plays harder. Edward is a Union Leader who fights for his workers' rights. She is brought in to change things at the Car Factory. He won't let her. The fight is on, attraction becomes obsession, and the lines between love and hate are blurred. BxE, AH, OOC. Rated M for eventual lemons.<p> 


	21. Do You Love Me?

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 21: Do You Love Me?**

**Warning/Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N:** Thanks so much for reading! You guys blow me away with every update. I have a busy morning tomorrow, so here's your update a little early!

I won't want to talk too much up here, but see me at the bottom for some cool AiL news!

Thanks to **Greenabsinthia,** **SydneyGen **and **Seastarr08** for taking the time to pre-read/beta. I feel lucky to count them as friends.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

_BPOV_

Since admitting to Charlie that I was in love with Edward, it had gotten harder and harder to not say it to Edward directly. It would be on the tip of my tongue and, instead of tumbling out like all of the other ridiculous things I said without thinking, it slipped away and the moment was gone.

I didn't know what held me back, or maybe I did. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Edward hadn't told me that he loved me. Were there rules for that? Who was supposed to say it first? How long were you supposed to wait? And, most importantly, if I said it first, would I be able to hide my heartbreak if he didn't say it back? The answer to that was a resounding, no. But I could be patient. I had a feeling it would be worth the wait.

Something changed in Edward at my father's house. I couldn't put my finger on it, but in the weeks following our trip to Forks, he was... Warmer. Softer. Happier—every cliché you could think of. It was adorable and made my heart swell. Part of me wanted to say, 'Screw it, let's go to Vegas,' but I just couldn't do it.

I couldn't marry him so soon. I couldn't do it before my father got to know him. I couldn't do it before I finished getting to know him. And I couldn't do it because the entire female half of the Cullen family were days away from getting on a plane to Seattle to help me find a wedding dress.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Edward continued to work crazy hours, and I tried to work my days around his. I didn't go so crazy as to change my entire schedule to match his, I couldn't see completely screwing up my sleep schedule for a few weeks only to have to reprogram myself to wake-up early for school in the fall, but I did my best to take care of him and make myself available when he wasn't working.

Our Facebook announcement garnered more attention than I expected. We'd changed our statuses and, without discussing it, both changed our profile pictures to shots of the two of us. Mine was of us on walking the beach in the Hamptons, and his was of the two of us, laughing one afternoon when Ang and I met Edward and Garrett at the hospital for lunch. Our friends mostly reacted with surprise and congratulations, but there were a few confused comments mixed in, mostly in Edward's timeline, and a couple of clearly disappointed women.

"_Wait, what? When did this happen?" _

"_Bella who?"_

"_Wow! I told my sister you weren't gay! When's the big day? Oh - Congrats!" _

"_So, I've missed my chance? *sigh* Oh, well. Congratulations." _

"_For real? How long have you known her?" _

"_Is she why you never called me back?" _

He assured me those women were just jealous, and he cared nothing for them. They were gorgeous, more the type of women I'd expect to see Edward with than me. It made me a little self-conscious...Until the day I met Edward at work and he unknowingly squashed my fears.

I'd tried a new recipe, and it turned out so well I wanted to share. I'd packed up two servings and headed for the hospital without a second thought. When I stopped at the nurses station to ask for Edward, I began to question my plan. It wasn't my first time visiting him at work, but the two nurses at the desk acted as if I was breaking the rules and hinted that Edward didn't want to be interrupted. I didn't mind waiting. In fact, I expected to wait, but they, Emily and Tia according to their name badges, refused to page Edward. They wouldn't even tell me if he was even on the floor, despite my telling them several times that he was my fiance.

I got frustrated and was quickly loosing my internal battle to keep my mouth shut and not verbally unleash holy hell on Dumb and Dumber when Edward rounded the corner and saw me. He stopped mid step, and his face lit up. He started walking again, picking up his pace as he made his way towards me.

"Hey, baby." His voice was smooth and clear, and loud enough for the bitch twins to hear, as he pulled me into his arms, lifting my feet off the ground and burying his nose in my hair..

"Hi," I laughed, wrapping an arm around him while clutching our bag of food with the other hand.

He let me slide down his body, and his hand came up to my neck, pulling me in for a quick kiss.

"This is a great surprise! What are you doing here?"

"I brought you dinner." I glanced at the bag on my arm and smiled.

"Did you make it?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry. Of course." He rubbed his hands together in excitement. "Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"Homemade chicken and dumplings."

His eyes glazed over the way they did sometimes when he looked at me naked. I giggled and heard a groan from the peanut gallery. Edward's head snapped towards the nurses station as if he was shocked that anyone was there. He wasn't angry, he just hadn't noticed them.

All he had seen was me. And that was all I needed to know. Those nurses, the women on Facebook, freakin' Maggie—they meant nothing to him.

"Ladies, I'm going to take Bella to the lounge for my break." He took my hand and started to lead me down the hall.

"But you can't-" one of them started.

"I can. Don't page me unless someone's dying." He nudged me. "Get it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't quit your day job, Doc."

He squeezed my fingers and brought our arms up to kiss the back of my hand as he led me down the hallway.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

While Edward spent long hours at the hospital, I'd developed an addiction to Pinterest. I got sucked into the site, creating boards and pinning recipes, decorating tips and, more than anything, ideas for the wedding.

Alice and I had begun emailing about the details, and I had finally allowed myself to jump in with both feet. It became clear early on that Alice and I had two different ideas of 'casual beach.' Hers involved gold leaf and pearls. Mine was nothing of the sort. I was drawn to sand dollars and seagrass, weathered boards and driftwood. Edward agreed with me, reminding Alice it was our wedding.

It wasn't so much that she wasn't willing to use our ideas, she just seemed to struggle to understand that we didn't like hers. It was kind of funny actually. I had been terrified to tell her that we weren't on the same page, and I'll never forget her face on Skype when I tried to explain that the photo she had sent of a chandelier draped in shell garlands was a hard limit.

"But...Did you see the picture? It's beautiful. And one of a kind."

"It's not me, Alice. It's not us. It would be a focal point, and it just doesn't go with anything else I have in my head."

"Seriously?" She looked absolutely shocked. "I mean, you're serious?"

"Yes," I laughed. "I don't want anything kitschy, like crabs with googly eyes or gummy fish. Think classic beach house. We could even go with a nautical theme using big rope knots and some funky sailing antiques."

"Okay, wow. Let me get my head around that and come up with some ideas. I'll get back to you in a few days."

She seemed resigned, ready to take on the challenge, and I felt myself relax. I also knew at that moment, that while the idea of Alice planning our wedding had initially sounded appealing, things had changed.

I wanted to plan my wedding to Edward, to concern myself with the details. I wanted to surprise Edward with little things I knew he would like, and I couldn't wait to get married.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

"Bella?"

I felt something soft on my face and turned my head to get away from it.

"Baby, let's go to bed."

I tried to say, "When Edward gets home," but my mouth wouldn't cooperate.

"I have no idea what you said, but I'm going to pick you up, okay?"

An arm slipped under my legs and another around my neck. I took a deep breath and recognized the smells of Edward and the hospital. He'd put in more hours over the last few days than I thought humanly possible. We hadn't seen each other in almost two days, and I missed him. I must have fallen asleep on the couch while I waited for him to get home.

"You're here." I wrapped my arms around his neck and snuggled in. "What time is it?"

"It's late; there was an accident, and I got stuck in the trauma room."

"Are you okay?" My thoughts were still foggy with sleep. "I mean, is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, everyone's fine." He put me on the bed and tucked me under the covers, kissing my forehead. "It was just a long night. I'm going to grab a quick shower."

"I tried to wait up for you."

"I know you did." He traced my hairline with the tip of his finger and tucked some hair behind my ear. "Thank you."

"Mm," I sighed and stretched, wanting to wake up and not waste time while he was home sleeping.

Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes. The water turned on, and I could imagine Edward in the bathroom, stepping out of his scrubs, scratching his chest and running a hand through his hair before grabbing his towel. The sound of the hooks scraping along the shower rod snapped me from my vision of naked Edward and reminded me that he was actually in the room next door—naked. And wet.

I pulled my t-shirt over my head as I stood from the bed and stumbled towards the bathroom, kicking out of my shorts. I stumbled forward, almost falling into the door but managed to catch myself on the doorframe. I stood tall, shaking my hair over my shoulder and clearing my head, before grabbing the door handle and letting myself into the bathroom.

He peeked out from behind the curtain, his cheeks pink from the steam. His smile was wide and foamy, with his toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. I leaned against the counter and grinned at his ridiculous shower routine. He spit out his toothpaste and rinsed his face under the water, putting his toothbrush on the wire rack hanging off the showerhead.

"I'd say I'm sorry that I woke you, but," he looked me up and down, his gaze making me blush from head to toe, "you seem to have lost your clothes, and I'm not sorry for that at all."

"Is there room for me in there?" I teased, knowing just how much room there was in his shower and how much we both enjoyed showering, and doing other things, in there together. I wiggled against the counter just thinking about it, my thighs rubbing together.

"Oh, I bet if I pressed you against the wall we'd fit."

"Press away, Doc."

I pushed off the counter, and he slid the curtain open, taking me into his arms. He held me close, taking a second to nuzzle my neck with his nose before his lips found mine. He turned us and let the water beat down on his back as his hands slid along my sides and over my ass.

"I've missed you," I whispered, trailing my lips along his jaw to his ear, not worrying about how ridiculous it was to miss him after only two days.

"I've never been jealous of someone's mother before. I hope you had fun with Ang and her mom."

"Let's not talk about Judy Weber while we're naked."

"Good plan."

He leaned down to kiss me, his hands moving back up my body, cupping my breasts and making me arch against him. He turned us again, doing just what he promised and pressed my back against the cool tile. His mouth moved along my collarbone, down my chest until his tongue circled my nipple. He sucked gently before using his teeth to scrape my sensitive skin. My head fell back to the wall, and my fingers tightened in his hair. He soothed the sting from his teeth with the flat of his tongue, then moved to give my other breast the same attention.

One of my hands dropped down to his ass, squeezing as I pulled him towards me. His hand slid between us, finding me already wet for him. His mouth moved back up my body, kissing and licking his way to my mouth, as he circled my clit with his fingers. He knew he was teasing me, that I wanted him to fill me - with his fingers or cock, even his tongue. I could feel him, hard against my stomach. I lifted my leg, wrapping it around his hip to pull him towards me.

He rocked against me and pressed his forehead to mine. His eyes were hooded with lust, and I knew he wanted me as much as I wanted him. I reached down and wrapped my fingers around him. He groaned and closed his eyes, bucking into my hands.

"Fuck."

"Yeah," I nodded, licking my lips.

He shifted his hands, lifting me and lining himself up, pressing into me. I loved the way it felt when my body stretched, allowing him to fill me. I looked between us, feeling my breath hitch as I watched him disappearing inside of me. It was delicious torture, the rush as he moved into me and despair when he pulled back. The steady rhythm drove me towards release as butterflies and heat spread through my body.

He kissed me and mumbled into my lips, "Jesus, you feel so good."

"Ung. So good," I managed, breathing hard. "I'm so close."

"Yeah?" He bent his knees, and his slow, sensuous pace became quick and demanding. "Fuck. Give it to me; let me watch you come."

I loved when he talked dirty, it was so contrary to his buttoned up doctor persona. He slammed into me, hitting the spot over and over that had everything in me tightening. I felt like I could explode any second. He growled and gave me a couple of quick and deep thrusts, and the coil in my belly snapped, my walls clenched around him while my orgasm rolled through me. My mouth dropped open, but the only sound I heard was the blood rushing through my ears.

He slipped out of me, and I whimpered, though I knew he wasn't finished. I let my legs drop, but they were like rubber. He put his hands on my hips and spun me around, he moved my feet, spreading my legs apart. He stepped closer, pressing my chest to the wall as he raised my hands over my head. He gave me goosebumps, gently dragging his hand down the length of my side to my waist. I felt his thighs flex as he adjusted his height before his fingers tightened on my hip. I arched back against him in anticipation, and he slid into me again. I cried out as he moved into me with long hard strokes that forced me upwards with each thrust, dragging my nipples along the cold tile.

"Yes. Yes. Yes," I panted, feeling another orgasm building.

"Are you going to come again?" His breath was hot against my ear, and his hips slapped against my ass. "I know you can. Squeeze my cock until I come, too."

"Please," I rasped, unsure what I was asking for. My body was humming, aching. I only knew that I needed to come.

He pushed his hand in front of me and found my swollen clit, pinching it between his fingers. I screamed as I felt my orgasm explode, my hips twitching uncontrollably as I slapped my hand against the wall trying to force myself even closer to Edward.

"Christ," he muttered before biting my shoulder, thrusting into me hard and fast until he groaned and pulled me against him, pulsing inside me.

My heart pounded in my chest, and our breathing was loud in the enclosed space. His forehead rested on my shoulder, and his fingers caressed my hips. I dropped my arms and covered his hands with mine. He slipped out of me, but we stayed still, letting our heart rates calm.

After a few seconds, I took a deep breath and turned around, needing to see his face. I pushed his hair off his forehead, and he raised his hands to my shoulders, sliding them up my neck to cup my cheeks.

"Bella." He swallowed hard and seemed to search for something in my eyes.

I slid my hands up his back holding his shoulders and pressing my body against his.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, reopening them with a smile.

"This isn't how I wanted to do this, but..."

"What?" I licked my lips, terrified. Was he going to tell me he didn't want to get married? What had happened? After sex like that, I could hardly imagine it, but I couldn't read the look on his face.

"Shhhh," he chuckled and pushed some of my hair behind my ear before giving me a gentle kiss. "I love you, Bella. I'm so crazy, in love with you I can hardly see straight some days, and I'm sick of not telling you."

"You are?"

He nodded and opened his mouth to say something that I'm sure was along the lines of, 'You don't have to say it back,' but I didn't give him the chance.

I put my fingers over his lips. "Don't say it. I love you, too. I'm in love with you, too."

"You are?" He grinned, and I had to laugh at how ridiculous we were.

"We've been apart before, with our schedules and everything, but these past two days... I felt like a crazy nympho because I couldn't see you. It made me twitchy and cranky. I slept in your shirt so I could at least smell you."

"Yeah?" His eyes practically sparkled as he smiled down at me. "You know that text you sent me last week, the one with a picture of you pouting because you woke up alone? I've looked at that like 5,000 times in the last forty-eight hours."

"We're quite a pair, aren't we?" I laughed, still replaying his words in my head.

He kissed my nose. "We're going to be a pair of icicles if we don't get out of here."

I nodded and quickly rinsed off before sliding open the curtain. I stopped and looked over my shoulder at Edward, who was already lathering up his hair with shampoo.

"Say it again."

He stopped moving and looked at me, both hands on his head covered in lather. Smiling, he stepped closer and moved one of his soapy hands to my neck.

He looked into my eyes as his thumb stroked over my pulse point. "I love you."

I bit my lip before I grinned and stretched up, putting my arms around him."I love you, too."

"I'll be done in a minute." He gave me another kiss, it was quick and silly, accompanied by a laughing, "Mwah!"

I giggled as he pushed me out of the shower so he could finish washing his hair.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Much later, after another round of hot sex and I love you's, we were stretched out in bed. I had my head on his shoulder, and he ran his fingers through my still damp hair. I sighed, thinking about the coming week.

"Do you think Alice is serious about having a dress custom made in New York for me?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You've met her, right? If she doesn't know the right person to make it, she'll do it herself."

"But if I find a dress I like, we can just order it."

He scrunched his face up adorably and shook his head.

"Cullens don't order things?"

"Stop. It has nothing to do with that." He laughed. "Alice is a fashion snob, and she wants to do something special for you."

"Did she do it for Rosalie?"

"She had lace flown in from Ireland for Rose's dress and hired flair bartenders for the reception."

I glanced over at him to make sure he was serious. "How did your mother feel about that?"

"The lace? She would have preferred it came from Venice. The bartenders? She knew them by name before the night was half over."

He laughed and gently rubbed my back. "Relax. You just have to tell them 'no' if they suggest something you don't want. My mother will respect that, even if Alice doesn't at first."

"I'm still surprised your mother is coming."

"Aww, she loves you, and she wants you to protect you from scary Alice and Rose."

I snorted a laugh. I wasn't entirely sure when Esme got included in our shopping plans, but Alice acted like she'd always expected her mother to make the trip. I had to admit, despite my nerves at having so many Cullen's around, there was a piece of me that was especially excited that she was coming.

I liked Esme, pretty much loved her to be honest, but that wasn't it. I'd always been the girl without a mother, and I'd gotten a thick skin, pretending it didn't matter. But having Esme come dress shopping with us? It made me feel normal, like I was finally part of the great American family who had always frozen me out before. I couldn't quite put into words how much it meant to me, how much Edward's whole crazy family meant to me.

I looked up at him, finding his eyes closed and his lips slightly turned up in a smile. I could tell he was almost asleep, but I needed to say it one more time.

"I love you," I whispered, stretching my arm across his chest to put my hand over his heart.

"Mm. Love you too," Edward mumbled, pressing his lips to my hair.

I fell asleep with a huge smile on my face.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:  
><strong>They finally said it! JEEBUS, took them long enough, right? LOL But they did, and now there's no stopping them! Edward still has that ring...and some plans... so I'll see you in two weeks for more fun times with these kids!

**What I've Been Reading: **  
>UGH. I feel like I haven't had time to much of anything, but I took a business trip last week and time to read on the plane!<p>

**Try** by **Shellshock81** - Kiwi/RugbyWard, do I really have to say anything else? UNF. (WIP only 8 chapters)  
>Summary: Bella moves to the other side of the world, leaving everything she's ever known behind, including a broken hear<span>t<span>. Edward, star player of one of New Zealand's best Super15 rugby teams is so smitten over his new Pilates trainer, he can't stop himself from going after her. Will they find a way to make it work on and off the field? Birthday O/S turned into more!

**The Sky is Painted with Red** by **IssisIvy **Quite a roller coaster. This Bella gets put through the ringer, but when B/E finally connect... *sigh* I seriously need this fic to update. (wip 41 chapters)  
>Summary: Seven billion people live on Earth. Only a small percentage know of the darkness beneath them. Those people are known as Human Donors. My name is Bella Swan, and I am a human donor. ExB, Vampward, M for usual.<p>

Also, **Incendiary **by **Amy Bartol **came out last week. (Book 4 in The Premonition series) If you're not reading that series yet...GAH. The twists with this book - I can't even!


	22. Much Ado

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 22: Much Ado**

**Warning/Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N:** UGH. So sorry this is late. I was deathly ill last week and then slammed by the holidays. Better late than never though! Enjoy! Thanks to everyone for reading! *waves hi to new readers* I've tried to reply to reviews, but I know I'm way behind. Sorry 'bout that!

Thanks to **Greenabsinthia,** **SydneyGen **and **Seastarr08** for taking the time to pre-read/beta. I feel lucky to count them as friends.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**Epov**

"So, are you gonna give it to her?"

"What? Who?" I took a seat across from Garrett, grabbed the box of Cap'n Crunch off the table and poured myself a bowl along with some milk. We hadn't had a break in hours and were scarfing down some cereal in the doctor's lounge.

He rolled his eyes. "Bella. The Hope diamond."

"Fuck you."

"Whatever. Your family is going to be here in a couple of days and Bella's still sporting the wrong ring."

"For fuck's sake!" I dropped my spoon in exasperation, letting it clang against the bowl. "What is with you people? It's not the wrong ring! It's just, not my grandmother's."

"Hey," he held his hands up as if he meant no harm. "Don't shoot the messenger, or whatever the fuck that saying is. I just heard from both you and Ang how your family got all wiggy about her not having the rock."

"Did you just say wiggy?"

"Yes, wiggy, as in, to wig out, and you haven't answered my initial question."

"Ugh. Yes. I'm going to give it to her. I have it all planned out."

"You do?" His voice rose an octave in surprise.

I nodded and took another bite of cereal.

"I'm kind of excited about it. I mean, initially I wanted to wait a little longer, but that's not fair to Bella. If we're doing this, and we are, she deserves to have it now."

"That's so not romantic."

"That's not how I'm going to ask her, dumbass."

Everything with Bella had been completely backwards from day one. If there was one thing I owed her, it was an real proposal. More than that, I loved her enough that I wanted to give it to her, to have that moment when I waited, anxiously, for her to say yes.

"I'm thinking about it too, you know?" He shoveled a spoonful of cereal into his mouth and milk dripped down his chin.

Garrett was a huge flirt. If he'd had the time, he'd have been a ladies man. As it was, he'd hooked up with more than his fair share of the female hospital staff. Before he met Angela, he'd been a walking television-doctor cliché.

"You're what?"

"I mean, I'm not thinking about proposing tomorrow, but I think I could see a future with Ang."

I'm pretty sure I looked at him like he'd grown two heads. "Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?"

"What? You're the only one who gets to grow up?"

Laughing, he shook his head at me as he stood and picked up his bowl. He reached a hand towards my bowl to see if I wanted him to take it to the sink. I nodded and sipped the last bit of milk before handing it over.

"No, not at all," I chuckled, "I'm just surprised."

"Yeah, well, you fell in love with your fake fianceé, that shocked the hell out of me."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

When I began planning my proposal to Bella, I realized, because of where I wanted to ask her, it would either have to happen the week after my family visited, or the night they arrived in Seattle. When I thought about Bella shopping for her dress, I envisioned her with Grammy's ring on her hand, so I knew when I needed to do it.

I enlisted Alice in helping me, swearing her to secrecy. She loved all things wedding and was thrilled to be a part of, what she considered, a second proposal. I wasn't ready yet, nor was I sure if I would ever be ready, to tell her that it was actually going to be my official proposal.

Aside from the time I'd carved out to propose, I'd have to work almost the entire time my family was in Seattle. I felt bad that Bella was going to have to play hostess to my family, but luckily they weren't staying with us. My mother insisted on staying at one of the hotels downtown, and Alice reserved a car to bring them to the hotel. Bella made arrangements to meet them for dinner after they settled in, and everyone, except for Alice, thought I was at the hospital.

"We're here!" Alice's voice sang through the phone.

"You're at the hotel?"

"Yes, I'm in my room freshening up."

"You know the plan?"

"No," she huffed, "I only know what you've told me."

I chuckled at our on-going argument. "Alice, I appreciate everything you're doing for me, but I'm not telling you how I'm going to propose. You know more than anyone else as it is."

"Fine, but I'm not happy about this. I could help you-"

"And that's why I'm not telling you anything more," I laughed. "I know you want to help, but save it for dress shopping, okay?"

"Fine. But you're paying for dinner. I'm going to have to supply mom with a steady supply of vodka until you meet up with us."

"Of course. Listen, I need to finish getting ready. Don't let mom call Bella after you tell her about the change in plans."

"Don't worry! Bella will meet you in front of the restaurant, alone. We'll see you at the hotel tonight."

"Thanks, I'll see you then."

"I'm so excited for you!" she called before hanging up.

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. Looking at the picnic basket half packed on my kitchen table, I started to get nervous. I was about to ask Bella to marry me, for real.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

I leaned against the wall outside of the restaurant with my hands in my pockets, jingling my keys. I tried not to look as nervous as I felt. I didn't want to give anything away to Bella too soon. Well, the whole thing was a give away, but I was going to play it off like this was just a surprise date, nothing more.

When I finally saw her walking down the block towards me, I couldn't hide my smile. She furrowed her brow and cocked her head in confusion for a second, but grinned as she came closer.

"Hey, baby," I said, stepping forward and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, yourself." Her eyes darted around us, no doubt looking for my family. "What's going on? I thought you had to be at the hospital."

"I wanted to surprise you." I grinned.

"Well, it worked!" She laughed and took my hand, rubbing her thumb over the back of my hand. "Are we eating here?"

"Nope." I started to lead her towards my car so we could make our way to the ferry.

"You're not telling me where we're going?" She was still grinning,

I shrugged. "You'll see."

She laughed and smacked my shoulder. "You're so mean!"

"But you love me," I teased.

She rolled her eyes. "I have no idea why."

We climbed into my car, and I drove us over the few blocks to the ferry terminal.

"Vashon? Curiouser and curiouser," she quoted Alice in Wonderland, keeping a straight face.

I grinned but didn't give her any more information. She didn't know it, but she'd just boosted my confidence in my plan. Bella may have been a math teacher, but she loved literature and was certified to teach that as well.

We stood at the rail, watching the water as we made small talk. We discussed her plans with my family, and pretty much anything else I could come up with so I didn't have to think about what I was about to do. It wasn't that I was afraid. Since we were officially unofficially engaged, I didn't doubt that she would say yes. But I was nervous. It was an important moment, and I wanted it to be perfect.

When the ferry docked, we pulled up the ramp, and I drove towards town. Bella commented about a few restaurants that she liked, but before we reached downtown I turned off. I found a spot near the library and parked.

"Okay..." she said, stretching the word.

"You'll see," I chuckled, before walking around the car to open her door. I gave her a quick kiss and stepped to the back of the car and took a picnic basket out of the trunk.

We made our way to the park, and Bella seemed even more confused when she saw the small crowd gathered.

Then, as if a lightbulb went off, she squealed in excitement and threw her arms around me.

"Oh my God!" She looked a little like Alice as she bounced on her toes taking in the stage and the banners advertising the summer theater series. "Outdoor theater? Holy crap, is it Shakespeare? I wanted to do this!"

"I know you did, baby. They're doing _Much Ado About Nothing _tonight. You love that one; I think you've worn out the DVD." I grinned as she stretched up on her toes to kiss me.

"This is so cool, but what about your family? I was supposed to meet them for dinner."

"I know, but this is the last weekend they're performing this summer. Besides, my family will have you for the next couple of days. I promised Alice we'd meet them for a drink later tonight, too."

She reached up and cupped my cheek. "Aw, that's sweet of you."

"Come on," I angled my head towards the stage, "let's find somewhere to sit."

We spread the blanket out and sit down. Bella looked around, taking in the scene. It was mostly couples, both young and old, and a few children attending with their parents. I unpacked the picnic basket and opened a bottle of wine. I had packed some of her favorites for dinner, and we ate quickly, laughing and grinning in the late afternoon sun. She was so happy she practically glowed. It was a day I never wanted to forget, and we hadn't gotten to the most significant part.

The play began, and we sat huddled together, my arm around her shoulder and her hand on my knee. Her eyes were wide as she stared raptly at the stage. Occasionally, her lips would move along with the actors, reciting favorite lines. Eventually, she caught me staring.

"What?" she whispered, grinning.

"Nothing," I slid my hand up her shoulder to her neck, tangling my fingers in her hair, "enjoying the view."

She snorted, and her eyes darted to the stage before coming back to mine. She didn't want to miss a second of it.

"Watch the play, baby," I chuckled and kissed her forehead.

She bit her lip for a second before smiling at me, then she turned back to the stage, falling under its spell.

As the play went on, I found myself wiping my hand on my pant leg and fidgeting with Bella's hair. I knew the intermission was close, and I realized it was a moment I would never be fully prepared for, but I was as ready as I'd ever be.

The audience broke into a round of applause as the actors left the stage. Bella laid back and stretched out on the blanket.

"This is so cool!"

Her face was full of joy, and I knew it was time. I reached into the picnic basket and took out the box of chocolate covered strawberries, two champagne flutes and a bottle of her favorite champagne.

She sat up and reached for the berries, but I caught her hand and gave her a quick head shake. She cocked her head and waited as I turned towards her and took her other hand as well. I looked down at our joined hands and took a deep breath.

"I used to feel like my life was perpetually on hold, like there was a future out there for me, but I just couldn't see it, but everything changed when I met you. Even that first night, when we were just talking about a weekend, I could see so much more."

"Edward." Her voice was a sigh on the breeze.

"Isabella Swan, you are more than I could ever have imagined. You make me feel alive, and when I'm with you anything seems possible. I am blessed to have you in my life. I love you, so much. I'm sorry that you had to wait for this, it's always been yours. Please, accept my grandmother's ring and say you'll marry me?"

My heart pounded in my chest as I reached into my pocket, pulling out Grammy's ring. Bella's eyes filled with tears as she clapped one hand over her mouth with a small gasp. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she stared at the ring between my thumb and forefinger like she was in a trance.

"Say yes!" the woman behind us called, and we all laughed.

Squeezing her fingers, I whispered, "Please."

She nodded vigorously and threw her arms around me. She giggled as she sniffed and buried her face in my neck.

"Yes! Oh my God! Yes!"

The tension in my body drained away with her words and I grinned at the woman behind us, nodding my head. She squealed and clapped, making Bella snort and laugh. I sat back and cupped her face, wiping her tears with my thumbs.

"I love you," I whispered, kissing her forehead.

"I love you, too," she sighed, leaning against me.

I chuckled, taking her left hand in mine. "Do you want the ring, baby?"

"Shit! Yes!"

I slipped the Claddagh off her finger and replaced it with the engagement ring. It fit perfectly. We both stared at her hand as she tilted her hand side to side to see the light play off the diamond.

It was good sized ring, a little on the larger end, but it wasn't one of those gigantic monstrosities that some celebrities wore. It was a platinum Art Deco style ring, with a 2.5 carat round diamond surrounded by six small sapphires on each side and three smaller diamonds on each shank.

"Oh my God!" She couldn't take her eyes off of it.

"You keep saying that," I laughed.

"It's totally appropriate. Jesus, Edward, no wonder it was so obvious to your family I didn't have this!" She ran her finger around the center stone and giggled. "It's gorgeous. I love it! It's... Perfect!"

She clutched her hand to her chest, and I felt my heart swell. I knew that it was more than she would have chosen for herself, but looking at it on her finger only strengthened my belief in what I'd told her. The ring was hers. It had always been hers. It had just taken a bit of fate and luck for us to find each other.

"Champagne?" I asked, reaching for the bottle I'd set out earlier.

"Yes, please," she giggled. "I thought it was a little extravagant when you pulled it out of the basket, but, clearly, I wasn't in on your plans."

"Clearly," I laughed and poured us each a glass.

"Are we really meeting your family later?" she asked as she opened the box of strawberries.

"Alice will kill me if we don't."

"Okay, then." She sat up on her knees and held her glass up as if to toast.

"Okay, what?"

"Okay, I won't call them now," she laughed and glanced at my glass with a nod. "A toast, to finding each other."

I felt the corner of my mouth lift in a smile. "To finding each other," I agreed, looking into her eyes, "And to never letting go."

"Never," she whispered before raising her glass to her lips. She held my eyes, sipping champagne, then grinned at me.

Noise near the stage drew our attention as the actors began returning to the stage. Bella looked at me, then up at the stage wistfully. I laughed and gave her a quick kiss before scooting behind her so she could sit between my legs. She pulled my arms around her and twined our fingers together. She sighed and pulled my arms tighter around her, leaning against my chest.

"You okay?"

She turned her head towards me and brought a hand up to my face. "Never better."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she chuckled and shook her head at me before turning back to the stage.

I settled my chin on her shoulder and smiled to myself. My thumb stroked over my grandmother's ring on her finger, and I knew she was exactly right.

After all was said and done, I'd never been better.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:**

So, it's officially official - they're engaged! Just wait until Esme sees the ring on her finger! LOL  
>Speaking of the ring, here's a picture - alright, I lied, sorry, the picture isn't here. The link wasn't working, so I've added a section at the bottom of my FFnet profile with links for this fic. Click over there and you can check out Grammy's ring. :)<p>

Thanks so much for reading! Hope you all are having a great holiday season!

I've been crazy sick and busy, but I did start reading this WIP over the last two weeks...  
><strong>Royal Duty<strong> by **LiveInDakota** - (WIP 11ch so far) I've been reading a couple of other royal fics, and this is the reverse - with Bella as the royal. It's pretty cute. The last chapter left me biting my nails...I need an update! LOL  
>Summary: Life as a princess isn't a fairytale like they would lead you to believe. Sometimes decisions are made you don't like. Sometimes you don't have a choice at all. Barely out of school, it seems Bella's future has already been decided, with a marriage she doesn't want and a nation she doesn't know how to rule, but not everything is at it seems, and Edward Masen is no exception. EB


	23. Chantilly Lace

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 23: Chantilly Lace**

**Warning/Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N:** I rocked out on review replies last week, but if you replied this weekend I probably didn't get to you. I was busy trying to finish this bad boy off. Sorry if I missed you, thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying it.

I've been complete fail the last two updates about getting my teaser to Fictionators. Sorry, I love reading teasers there too. (JSYK, Barburella, I put it in my google calendar so I don't forget next time.)

Thanks to**SydneyGen **and **Greenabsinthia **for taking the time to pre-read/beta! Any mistakes you see are mine, because I keep messing with the doc after they see it. LOL

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

BPOV

I was still slightly dazed when we walked through the lobby of the Westin hotel towards the bar. Edward had proposed—to me—and he had given me his grandmother's ring. The one that his entire family was so flipped out about me not having. I ran my thumb over the large diamond and bit my lip. It was big, that was for sure. Not big like those tacky pink and yellow diamonds J. Lo had been given, but big in a classy old school way.

Edward held my right hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as he lightly swung our hands between us. The pressure on my fingers felt strange until I remembered that I'd moved the Claddagh to that hand because of my engagement ring. I giggled when the words went through my head. Engagement ring. I had one.

He glanced down at me, his eyebrow raised in question, and I shook my head. He didn't need to know how childish I was being inside my own head. You'd think that I wasn't already planning a wedding to him the way I was internally jumping for joy. He chuckled and dropped my hand, putting his arm around my shoulder and pulling me close to kiss the top of my head. Okay, maybe he could tell how weird I was being without me saying a word. I kind of loved him for it.

Rose, Alice and Esme were already sitting at a small table when we entered the bar. Esme saw us first and stood, smiling from ear to ear.

"Hey, mom!" Edward called, raising a hand.

Alice jumped up and ran towards us while Rose stood next to her chair. I bit my lip, unsure of how Edward planned to tell them our news. All I knew was that Alice had helped him coordinate things so I could meet him. She was supposed to explain to Rose and Esme that Edward had wanted to surprise me with our Shakespeare in the park date. Beyond that, I wasn't sure if Esme and Rose had any inkling of what had occurred.

"Hi, sweetie!"

Esme pulled Edward into a hug as Alice grabbed my hands, covertly running her thumb over my ring.

"Oh my God! He really did it!" she whispered excitedly in my ear as she threw her arms around me and squeezed. "I'm so happy for you! Was it romantic? He wouldn't tell me anything!"

I laughed and hugged her back, but before I could tell her anything, Edward pulled her away.

"Alice! Don't hog Bella! Mom wants to say hello!"

She smacked him in the chest, but her smile never faltered. I hoped Esme was drunk enough not to realize how crazy her daughter looked, or the cat would be out of the bag. Then again, I was pretty sure that was the reason behind our meeting.

"Bella, you look lovely," Esme cooed with the slightest slur as she hugged me.

"Thank you. You look wonderful, as well. And thank you, also, for joining us on this shopping adventure your daughter has planned."

"Nonsense, dear. Every girl needs a mother's opinion when wedding dress shopping." She waved her hand like I was being ridiculous.

"Well, I really appreciate it."

She tightened an arm around my shoulder then stepped back, and the three of us moved towards the chairs. Rose hadn't moved from her spot, so she simply took her seat.

"Hello, Rose. Thank you for coming." I tried to sound sincere. I did appreciate her joining us, but I was still apprehensive and, based on her lack of a greeting, I was probably right in my concern.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder, and I braced myself for the sting of her words.

"Well, I couldn't let Alice and Esme have all the fun." Her tone was haughty, but it was much less caustic than I expected.

"All the same, thank you," Edward said, looking at each of them in turn. "It means a lot to me that you would come out here to look at dresses with Bella."

He lifted our hands, which we'd linked again as soon as we sat down next to each other, and rested them on the table.

It took less than a heartbeat for his mother to gasp and his sister to squeal in a pitch that I was worried would shatter the glasses behind the bar.

Esme reached across the table and grabbed my hand, pulling it out of Edward's grasp. She had tears in her eyes as they darted from my hand to her son and then back to me.

"Oh my goodness! I hoped - I thought - It's so beautiful. I'm so happy for you!" She wiped her eyes, and her demeanor did an about face as she turned to Alice with a scowl. "You knew!"

Alice laughed and bounced in her seat. "All I knew was that he was giving it to her tonight! What did he say? I'm so glad you finally have it. It's perfect, don't you think Rose? It's very... Bella."

"It's beautiful. I'd say congratulations," she snorted and smiled, "but you were already engaged."

"Rose," Edward admonished.

She raised her hands in her own defense and chuckled. "What? You're already engaged! How many times do I need to congratulate you? I said it looked beautiful."

She shrugged, and I burst out laughing. "What has gotten into you?"

"About six cocktails," Alice mumbled.

"I don't know, but I'll take it," Edward pretended to whisper, but spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

He was exactly right. For her, Rosalie was being downright friendly, and I certainly wasn't going to rock the boat.

"So," Esme started, her eyes sparkling from either excitement or cocktails, I wasn't quite sure, "Tell us all about it! I'm certain Edward didn't just hand you the ring."

"He said he had a plan. He wouldn't tell me anything!" Alice chirped, and Edward rolled his eyes.

"It was wonderful," I sighed, leaning over to kiss him before telling our story. "I thought he had to work tonight, but he met me outside of the restaurant. I still didn't realize you all weren't meeting us there until he started to lead me down the street. We took the ferry over to Vashon Island and had a picnic."

I bit my lip and grinned at Edward, my eyes filling with tears and my throat tightening. It had been so perfect, I was still overwhelmed.

"We went to Shakespeare in the Park," he said, taking over. "This is the last weekend of the summer performances, and I knew she wanted to go, so that was part of the surprise. I gave her Grammy's ring during the intermission."

"It was just like a proposal," I added, regaining my voice, then my eyes found his before I continued. "He told me he thought he'd always been waiting for me and that together we could do anything. He apologized for making me wait and told me that the ring had always been mine."

"Then she started crying and threw her arms around me before she even saw the ring!"

"And the woman behind us was yelling, 'Say yes!'"

"Oh my god! How cute!" Alice squealed.

"She took a couple of great pictures too," I laughed. "She sent them to my phone."

"Oh, how sweet!" Esme sniffled and even Rose had a smile on her face.

Alice had ordered champagne for the table and raised our glasses to toast. Edward gave me a wink, it would be our second round of champagne for the night.

"To love." Esme raised her glass and we all followed suit with a chorus of, "here, here."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Three bridal stores into our shopping trip I was ready to cry. It wasn't Rose or Esme, and not even Alice, who made me so upset. It was me. My indecisiveness was making me crazy. I'd tried on close to fifty dresses and I felt no closer to finding _the one_. Angela had even come with us, and I had not liked any of the dresses she recommended either.

I huffed and pulled my jeans back on, frustrated. Alice had two more stores she wanted to look at, and I was beginning to wonder if there was any point.

"Bella?"

It was Rose. She had been polite the evening before, and all morning she'd been almost friendly. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. I snorted, laughing at myself; it was such an Edward thing to do.

"Bella?" she asked again, this time with a quick knock.

I pulled my shirt over my head and reached for my socks and shoes. "It's open."

"Hey." Her voice was quiet, almost tentative.

I sat down on the chaise lounge in the dressing room and started to put my socks on. "I'm hurrying. I'll be right out."

"No, I mean, that's not why I came back here."

She sat in the small chair in the opposite corner. The dressing rooms in these places were huge.

"Look," she said, running a hand through her hair, "I realize we started off on the wrong foot."

She held a hand up, stopping me when she saw me open my mouth to comment. "I know it was entirely my fault. I know that you don't want my explanations and apologies, but I'd really like to start over. Do you think that's possible?"

"Um."

I didn't know how to respond. It wasn't at all what I had expected her to say. Part of me wanted to tell her no. She'd made her bed, and she'd have to grovel her way out of it for a while longer. But there was another part of me that just wanted to put all of it behind us and see if we could move on.

She leaned forward, setting her elbows on her knees and sighed. "Let's talk about today. I know your best friend is here, and everyone has been trying to shove what they think is your dream dress in your face, but it doesn't seem to be working. If it's me—I mean if I'm what's bothering you—I can leave."

"Oh, Rose, no. That's not it." I glanced up, and she looked so concerned. I thought she truly would have gone back to the hotel if I asked her to. I bit my bottom lip, trying to decide what to say.

"It's just that... I'm not like Alice, or even Angela. I didn't grow up dreaming about my wedding. To me, Cinderella was just another lucky girl, and I never imagined finding a prince. I didn't dress up like a princess or play wedding or whatever. I don't know what kind of dress I want.

"Alice keeps throwing out all of these fashion terms that I don't know or care about. I mean, I shop at the mall, not on Fifth Avenue. I own a pair of Docker's for Christ's sake! Column, princess, mermaid—I have no idea what I want. Wait, I don't think I want mermaid, that's too tight."

"Okay, wait," she said laughing at my verbal diarrhea. "I get the whole not having a dream dress, but here's the thing, I've heard you say no to Alice about some of the ridiculous stuff she's tried to convince you to use at your wedding. The chandelier draped in shell garland? Horrible, and you knew it. More than that, you told her. You might not know exactly what you want, but you have an idea. Close your eyes. Go ahead," she urged. "Close your eyes and think about your wedding. What do you see?"

Without even thinking about it, I found myself doing as she said, closing my eyes and taking a deep, centering breath.

"Do you hear the waves? Smell the sea air? Take another deep breath and tell me what you see. Are you wearing a long dress, or is it short?"

I could imagine myself, standing in the sand facing Edward. I couldn't see the guests or even the ocean, just his eyes, shining back at me. I couldn't see my dress, but I could feel certain details. The brush of soft fabric on my feet assured me it was floor length.

"Long."

"Is it fluffy, like a Cinderella dress?"

The fabric lightly blew around my legs, and I knew it was a simple, flowing skirt.

"No."

"Alright, straps? Sleeves?"

I took another breath and tried to keep the image of Edward in my head. I felt the sun on my shoulders and smiled to myself as I imagined it.

I opened my eyes and grinned at her. "No. Strapless."

"See!" she laughed, "You _do_ have an idea of what you want! Now we have somewhere to start!"

We grinned at each other for a second until Alice suddenly burst into the room.

"You haven't killed each other, have you?" Her eyes darted back and forth between us, shocked to see our smiles. "What the hell is going on in here?"

I laughed at her dramatics. "Just imagining my dream dress."

"Really? I thought you didn't have a dream dress."

"Well, thanks to Rose, I have a good idea." Our eyes met, and she nodded. Alice still seemed to be in a state of shock.

"Huh. Okay, well, Angela is sexting with Garrett, and Esme claims she is in desperate need of a cocktail. So, I'm thinking it's time for a break before we hit the next store. You can tell me about this idea you have over lunch."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Two days and five bridal stores later, I had found a dress that Alice and I thought was almost perfect. Before we purchased it, Alice insisted on talking to a friend in New York about having it made. I didn't care either way, so I let her make her calls.

I had to admit that I was a getting a little tired of the wedding talk. I mean, I was excited about getting married and planning something that Edward and I would both love, but cramming mass amounts of wedding talk into only a couple of days made me a little irritable.

I stood in the doorway to the kitchen, taking a break from making a casserole for Edward to freeze in single portions, and listened while Angela and Rosalie discussed wedding invitations in the dining room. Alice and Esme were shopping, looking for some antiques for a house they were decorating, and Edward was still at the hospital.

"I like this one," Angela pointed to an example in the book.

"It has ribbons on it." Rose wrinkled her nose. "Bella doesn't like ribbons. What about this one?"

Angela shook her head. "It's not standard envelope size."

Rose huffed and turned the page in the catalog. "For someone who doesn't know what she wants, your friend is a picky bitch."

"Right?" Angela snorted. "But she's growing on you, isn't she?"

Rose laughed. "I'll admit I might have been wrong about her."

"Might have been, my ass."

I shook my head at their antics and turned back to put the casserole in the oven. Angela and Rose were a volatile mix at first, but they'd accepted each other and allowed their obnoxious personalities to play off each other for the most part. They'd given Alice a lot of crap about some of her more outrageous wedding ideas, and Rose had told us some hilarious stories about planning her own wedding.

After washing my hands, I grabbed a pitcher of drinks and went in the dining room to join them. I poured us each a cocktail, and Rose raised an eyebrow.

"Thanks, Esme," she deadpanned.

"Whatever," I snorted.

It wasn't my fault Esme was a genius. Mixing a pitcher was much easier than making individual drinks over and over.

"Find anything?" I asked, pointing to the catalogs.

"A lot of stuff you won't like," they teased.

"Well, thank you for trying. I've seen a few things I liked, did you see that I put them on Pinterest?" I'd created a wedding board, it was easier than calling Alice each time I found something I liked.

"Yeah, but we didn't see anything like those in the catalog," Rose sighed.

"It's okay. I'm kind of done with wedding talk for a few days."

"Oh, thank God!" Ang laughed.

"My freakin' head's about to explode." Rose rubbed her face and sighed.

"Thank you, both of you." I sighed. "I really appreciate your help the last couple of days, with all of this wedding stuff and keeping Alice grounded, mostly."

"Of course, girly. I wouldn't have been anywhere else, except maybe in Garrett's bed."

Rose gave me a small smile. "You make Edward happy, you know that? We were starting to think he was going to have to go on a dating site or something to meet a woman. Emmett was thinking about writing a personal ad for him."

I glanced over at Angela, who was desperately trying not to laugh while I tried not to panic. Holy shit. I knew it was too good to be true. Rose knew. She was about to call me out on being a fake. Edward was going to flip.

"But thank God it didn't come to that," she continued with a laugh. "I mean, you're lucky to have such good friends who brought you together."

"Oh, Rose, you have no idea how true that is," Ang laughed, and I wanted to kill her.

But at least it had been a false alarm. Rose wasn't really on to us, or at least I hoped she wasn't.

Because while Edward and I were actually in love now, I couldn't imagine his family would be happy to learn that it all started with a lie.

.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:**

Thanks so much for reading! Glad you're still here, enjoying the story.

If you don't have me on author alert, you may not have seen that I've posted a couple of new things in the last two weeks. I put up my Secret Santa o/s called **A Whole New Ball Game**. It's up on my profile. If you like baseballwards, you should check it out.

I'm also participating in this round of The Twilight 25. It will consist of 25 UNRELATED 100 word drabbles based on provided prompts. I put up the first six this weekend if you want to take a look at those.

**Reading Recs:**

**Under the Blood Moon** by** Ta Paixao **(WIP 34 chapters so far). I wish I remember who rec'd this to me, I think it was in an A/N somewhere. But I think this fic is a major hidden gem. If you're reading Caged, here's another fighterward for you, though this time it's MMA style. Everybody has a secret in this fic, and none of them really deal with it very well (I kind of wanted to smack Bella at one point, but that happens with a lot of Bellas. LOL). Edward has his own skeletons, making for an interesting ride once he and Bella get together. **  
><strong>Summary: Bella shares a dark secret with her best friends Emmett and Jasper. She left home to escape the whispers and scrutiny, but upon returning, she meets professional fighter Edward Cullen, who has secrets of his own. Bella has worked hard to erect walls to protect herself, but Edward can't get Bella out of his mind. He wants her. She can't let anyone get too close. AH, LEMONS!**  
><strong>

**Tip of the Spear** by **Robsmyyummy Cabanaboy (**WIP 7 chapters so far) When this fic started I had no idea how she was going to bring this back around to a believable E/B romance with HEA, but she has. Seriously. I'm totally rooting for these two.  
>Summary: The "tip of the spear" - in the military, they are the front line; the initial attack that draws first blood. As a CACO in the United States Marine Corps, Capt. Masen delivers that leading blow, too. He's often faced with handling the collateral damage this life can bring, he's accepted that love &amp; commitment aren't for him…until she opens the door.<p>

And I started reading **J.L. Armentrout's Lux series** (real books, well, e-books). Um. Holy crap. Read the first book (Obsidian) in a day and a half and now I need to read the next one because I have to know what happens with Kat and Daemon.  
>(I know, <strong>Erikajo<strong>, I was supposed to finish Matched, but I somehow DL'd a Spanish version on my kindle - WTF?! - and I don't speak quite enough Spanish to read a book that way. LMAO.)


	24. Plaid

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 24: Plaid**

**Warning/Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N:** Thanks so much for reading! Glad you're still here, enjoying the story. Sorry to post a little later than usual today. It's totally my fault for not finishing the chapter until late last night. Thanks to **SydneyGen,** **Greenabsinthia, and Seastarr08** for reading through this, laughing at cock sharing jokes and helping me make Edward not seem like a creep on the El. LOL

Alright, we're going to cruise through a big chunk of time in the next couple chapters, so buckle in!

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

EPOV

I wasn't prepared for the changes that came when Bella went back to work. The extraordinary woman who had been at my disposal for weeks was suddenly gone. She wasn't available at all hours of the day to stop by the hospital or wait up when I worked late shift, and I missed her, terribly. She still spent the night at my place quite often, but it wasn't the same. Most days, it was as if I woke up one day and went back in time, to before I'd met her—when I had nothing in my life besides work, or an occasional night out with Garrett.

I smiled to myself as I thought about it, realizing that even when we'd been at my parent's I knew I didn't want to go back to life before Bella, and I'd told her as much standing on Riley's deck. I couldn't have been more right.

As the weeks went past, we fell into a new pattern. Bella stayed at my place whenever our sleeping hours overlapped and went back to her apartment with Angela when I worked overnights. Some weeks she spent more time with Ang and Garrett than me, but we were making it work.

Our first _real_ argument, if you could call it that, was about her birthday, and the fact that she wanted to pretend it didn't exist. At first I thought it was a bizarre vanity thing, something about her not wanting to get older, but as she rambled, I realized it was something else.

"Birthdays aren't a big deal for me. They're like, just another day. I mean, maybe it's a day where I'd get dessert when I wouldn't normally, but I don't need a party or anything."

"It's not really a party, just dinner with Ang and Garrett, and your dad."

"My dad? Holy fuck, Edward! How did Charlie get involved in this?"

"Well, you see, when a man and woman-"

She put her hand firmly over my mouth and rolled her eyes. "I know how Charlie was involved in _that_, but how did he get invited to this birthday, whatever, you have planned?"

"Oh, um," I ran my hand over the back of my neck, "I called him."

"You called the chief? And he didn't tell you how I felt about birthdays?"

"Well, he said you wouldn't want me to make a big deal out of it."

"And what did Angela tell you?"

"No parties."

"Seriously, two people warned you, and you still planned something. I should call Charlie right now and tell him to shoot you."

"Overreact much, Bella? We're going to dinner. That's it."

She huffed, looking pissed off. I stepped closer and put my arms around her. She remained stiff for a second before she relaxed, putting her forehead on my chest.

"We won't even sing happy birthday," I whispered, trying to soothe her.

"Alright," she sighed, sounding defeated.

"Hey, you want to tell me why birthdays are taboo?" I ran my hands slowly up and down her back. "I mean, I'm planning to be around for a lot more of them, and just so you know, I love my birthday. So we should find some middle ground, you know?"

"It's just...Birthdays are about family and, growing up, mine was never together. When I got older and I lived with Charlie, he always had to work. He usually left my presents on the table, and I opened them alone. Most of my birthdays then were with the old lady next door watching reruns of _I Love Lucy_ or the _Beverly Hillbillies_." She shrugged. "They're just another day to me."

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry you feel that way. Can we see how this goes and maybe agree this is what we'll do every year if you like it? Go to dinner, I mean. I promise I won't throw you a party, ever, but I want to acknowledge your birthday, okay?"

She nodded. "We can do that. Just, no big gifts. Okay?"

"Um."

"Edward."

"Just this year. I swear."

"Edward Cullen."

"It's not like that." I raised my hands in front of me. "It's just what I owed you, you know from the ad. You said you didn't want it, then you said it would help with your loan or for a car down payment."

"Yeah, and then you said when we got married it wouldn't matter because what's yours would be mine anyway, and while I don't really agree with that, I decided to stop arguing."

"I know, but the money is part of what tempted you to respond, so I felt like I had to pay it."

She shook her head and reached up, cupping my cheek. "It might have been one of the initial things but once I met you, it didn't matter."

Her words went straight to my heart, filling it even more with love. I leaned down and kissed her. Showing her how I felt, how much she meant to me.

"What did you do with the money?" she pulled away, whispering against my lips.

"What?"

"You're trying to distract me."

"Distract you?" I slid my hands down over her hips. "I forgot what we were talking about."

"Five thousand dollars. What did you do with it?"

"Do you really want to know?" I leaned back, trying to see her face.

Her nails gently scraped against my scalp the way I loved. "You could just give me a hint."

"It's not your birthday yet."

"Just a little one. Animal, vegetable, or mineral?"

It was such a surprise question, I had to think about how to answer, not that my answer would really give it away. After a second, I smirked. "A combination of two."

"Well, that was useless."

"You picked the question," I snorted.

"Whatever." She pouted, but I could see a hint of a smile as the corner of her lip twitched upwards.

"Do you really want to know?" I asked again. "It's not your birthday."

"Ugh. I guess not." She slid her arms up over my shoulders and began to run her fingers through the hair at the nape of my neck. "Does this mean I'm supposed to throw you a big party?"

"Yeah," I laughed, completely teasing, "this year it'll be called a wedding. I can handle celebrating two days late."

"Oh my God, I didn't even think about it. Or wait, when we set the wedding date I didn't even know when your birthday was. Shit. Do you care? I mean, you said your birthday is a big deal, maybe we should find another day."

"Bella, stop. It doesn't matter. If there's anything that I don't mind eclipsing my birthday, it's our wedding anniversary. Okay?"

She bit her lip, nodding, and the fight, if it truly had been one, was over.

That weekend, we went to dinner with her father and our friends, and I gave Bella a framed print of the night sky over the Hamptons while we'd been there on the Fourth. She loved it, but what brought her to tears was the envelope I gave her when we got back to the apartment. It contained a letter outlining an anonymous donation, because I knew she wouldn't want the attention, of $5,000 to the Seattle Public Library's Children's Department.

"Oh, Edward," she gasped, wiping away tears. "Thank you. It's perfect."

"You're welcome." I kissed her, thinking that she was wrong. The gift was good, but she was perfect.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Halloween was one of Bella's' favorite holidays, despite the awful year Charlie forgot about getting her a costume. She told me about how she loved to dress up and that, most years, it was the holiday she could plan on Charlie spending with her because he could take her trick-or-treating and patrol Forks at the same time.

The more I heard about Bella's family, the more I wanted start new traditions with her. My family was always slightly over the top, while hers was under the radar. I hoped that we could find some middle ground, like we had for her birthday, and come up with celebrations that worked for us.

One of the teachers at Bella's school planned a halloween party, but I was scheduled to work a double shift, so there was no way I was going to make it. I didn't like the idea of her going without me. Halloween was one of those nights when some people had too much to drink and felt like they could get away with things they wouldn't normally do because they were in costume. I just worried about her. Bella was my one, and I didn't want anything to happen to her.

It turned out Garrett and Ang were going to the party with her, so I felt a little better. They texted me pictures before they headed out, both girls dressed as babies in those obnoxious footie pajamas they insisted on wearing to lounge around on movie night, and Garrett in a pair of scrub pants and a FBI, Female Body Inspector, t-shirt under a white lab coat. _What a douche_, I thought as I laughed at the photos. I couldn't believe Angela would even be seen with him in that, but that fact that she thought it was hilarious was another example of how frighteningly perfect for each other they were.

By the time I let myself into the condo in the middle of night, I was dead on my feet but cranked on caffeine. I assumed Bella would have stayed with Angela, so I was surprised to find her sleeping on my couch. The biggest surprise, however, was that she was still dressed in costume, but not the asexual pajama outfit I'd seen earlier. No, she was currently stretched out across the black leather cushions in a sexy schoolgirl outfit. Knee high black socks, short plaid skirt and one of my white button down shirts, cuffs rolled, buttons open down the front but tied at the waist.

"Hey, baby," I whispered, kneeling beside her and pushing some hair off her forehead.

"Mm," she smacked her lips and sighed but didn't wake.

"Come on." I slipped my hands under her body and lifted her, bridal style.

"Edward?" Her voice was rough, confused.

"Of course, who else would be here in the middle of the night to put you to bed?"

"Did I fall asleep?"

I loved sleepy, confused Bella.

"Looks like it. Let's get you to bed."

"Ugh, my chest hurts."

She wiggled in my arms, arching her back and I automatically went into doctor mode. I set her on the bed and reached for her wrist to check her pulse.

"Are you having trouble catching your breath? Any pain in your arms or back?"

"What? No, just get this bra off me. It makes my boobs look good but it's too small; it's squeezing the hell out of my ribs."

"Huh," I muttered, getting a better look at her chest as she tried to maneuver her arms under her shirt and behind her back to remove the offending item. It really had made her breasts look nice, maybe a little higher than usual. Not that they didn't always look good.

Her chest rose and fell as she took a deep breath and I couldn't tear my eyes away from her. Suddenly, it didn't matter that I'd just worked twenty-four hours straight and had come home wanting nothing more than to shower and fall into my bed in a coma-like sleep.

She struggled for a few seconds before giving up, letting her arms fall limply at her sides. She looked up at me, her eyes tired and sad.

"Need help?" My eyebrow raised as I tried not to laugh. Laughing would lead to pissed off Bella and no sex for me.

"Get it off." She flopped back on the bed and sighed, seemingly unaware she'd just trapped herself in the bra.

I climbed on the bed behind her and lifted her up, reaching around to untie the shirt and slip it off her shoulders. I glanced down to see just how awesome her breasts looked spilling out of the white satin before I unhooked the clasp on her back. Reaching forward, I cupped her breasts and she let out a soft moan. I kissed her neck and nibbled her ear.

"I love this costume, Bella. You'll have to wear it for me again."

She giggled and put her hands over mine. "Sorry I fell asleep. I had this whole role play planned out."

"Really?" Fuck. My cock jumped at the thought.

"Mhm. I didn't finish my homework."

"What?"

"So you'd punish me."

"Oh, fuck." I kneaded her breasts. They felt amazing in my hands. "I can still punish you if you want. You look fucking naughty."

She turned around, pushing me back and straddling my hips. She gave me a sultry smile, her eyes much brighter, and she didn't seem tired anymore. Leaning forward, she she scraped her teeth along my jaw and whispered, "Do your worst, doc."

Oh, God, the things I wanted to do to her. Bella and I had an active sex life, lots of positions and sometimes several times a day, but we didn't get too kinky. It wasn't that we didn't like it because, fuck, we certainly did, we just didn't need it. Just the feeling of Bella's hot, wet body clenching around my cock and her whimpers and cries as she found release could make me come harder than anyone ever had. The other stuff? Silk ties and her ass, pink from my swats, that was icing on the cake.

She bit her lip, her eyes hooded with sleepy desire, and slid her hands up under my scrub top, scraping my skin with her nails.

I ran my hands down her back and over her ass, finally sliding under the schoolgirl skirt she still had on. My hands stroked and skimmed, finding her completely bare.

"Isabella, where are your panties?"

"Must have forgotten them," she giggled, and I growled.

Unbelievable. And hot as hell.

"You're overdressed." Her hands slid back down to the hem of my shirt, lifting it up so I could pull it over my head. She pulled the drawstring on my pants and sat back as she helped me shimmy out of them.

When I kicked out of my scrubs and boxers she moved back to settle over my hips, slowly teasing me and sliding her wetness along my already hard shaft. She leaned down to kiss my chest and tangled her fingers in my hair at my temples.

I moved my hips, pushing against her and hoping to find her entrance. She moaned and slid back a final time, as she sat up. Her hands trailed down my chest until she wrapped one around me, gently stroking and sitting up on her knees. She lined us up and lowered herself, slowly taking me in.

I watched the emotions play over her face as she slid down onto me. She licked her lips and then her mouth opened into an 'o' before her head fell back and our hips met. She steadied herself, one hand rested on my thigh behind her and the other pressed against the center of my chest.

She lifted up, almost all the way off, before dropping back down, setting a slow, torturous pace. She looked gorgeous as she moved above me. My hands found her breasts, rolling her nipples and kneading her flesh that fit perfectly in my hands. I pushed my hips up to meet her, over and over, listening to her whimpers and sighs.

"Oh my God, yes! I'm close. Fuck. Again. Yes!"

I felt her muscles start to tighten around me and slid my hands to her waist, pulling her down hard to against my hips. I slid my thumb down to press on her clit and she cried out, her body clamping down around me. I kept moving, bucking my hips as she rode out her orgasm.

I was close, riding the edge of my own release, but I pushed it back, wanting more. She was still twitching around me when I sat up and rolled us to the side, nestling myself between her thighs. I pulled back and let myself go, driving into her in long, hard strokes.

"Fuck, Bella. You feel so good. So fucking good."

Her hands wound their way around my neck and she lifted up to kiss me, frantically. She rocked against me, meeting my thrusts until she gasped, her lip dragging across my jaw as her head fell back.

"Oh, God. Oh, God. Fuck."

I buried my head in her neck as I felt her muscles contracting again, her second orgasm, squeezing me like a vice. She writhed beneath me, crying out. Her fingernails scraped down my back and I went over the edge, clenching my teeth and growling in her ear as my entire body tensed and I jerked against her as I came.

"Fuck."

I rested on my elbows, trying not to crush her as I breathed heavy against her skin. The sound of my heart pounding in my ears was the only sound I could hear. Her hands slid gently over my back, soothing the skin she'd just marked. I kissed her shoulder and gently ran my nose along her neck before finding her mouth with my lips.

Her hands slid into my hair and she sighed into my mouth and laughed. "That was amazing, and I love you so much, but you have to get off me."

I laughed and rolled onto my back, pulling her with me to lay partially on my chest. She kissed my jaw and settled against me, falling asleep as I traced patterns on her back with my fingertips.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Throughout the fall, Bella had gradually been moving her things into my apartment. Her lease with Angela ran out the first of December, and I'd been shocked that she didn't put up a fight at all when I suggested she move in rather than look for another place.

She had sighed and explained her reasoning, "Anything with a six month lease was either too sleazy or too expensive. We're getting married. You might as well get used to all of my weird quirks now."

"And what quirks would those be?" I chuckled, raising a brow. I'd already noticed some things that I thought were funny, but there was no telling if we were thinking about the same habits.

"You know. Like how I hate sweaty cups, and I won't _any_ dairy product past its expiration date."

I laughed and pulled her into my arms, kissing her head. "I think I can live with those."

"Well, there's more, but I'm not telling you before I move in!"

She didn't need to. I could live with her wrapping a napkin around her sweaty cups and her aversion to expired dairy. I had no problems with her sleep talking or the way she pushed her socks half-way off but refused to take them all the way off because her toes might get cold. She hadn't had any issues with my alphabetizing the cans in the pantry and organizing my closet by color and season. I wasn't worried at all about us living together full time, and I had a feeling both of our quirks would just make things interesting.

The week before Thanksgiving, I was going over some charts when Garrett asked me about the girl's big move.

"You working Sunday, or helping me move Ang's shit?" he asked as he passed me at the nurses station on the way into a patient's room. Most of the furniture that needed to be move belonged to his girlfriend. Since my condo was furnished, thanks to my mother's design business, Bella had sold her bedroom set and dinette set to one of their neighbors, but Angela and Garrett were putting her things in his empty guest room.

"Working, and I thought you were too. Bella said we weren't moving anything until they got out of work Tuesday."

He turned back from the doorway and gave me a confused look.

"What?"

"Hang on," he laughed, shaking his head before turning his back on me and going in to deal with his patient.

"Your girlfriend is moving in?"

I glanced over at the nurse behind the desk who looked so surprised. Her name was Emily, and she'd been rude to Bella on several occasions.

"My fiancée, actually, and yes. Garrett is dating her roommate, and their lease is up."

"Oh," she nodded and gave me an understanding smile," so it's just because of that."

"No," I snapped, "it's because I'm engaged to her and I love her. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Garrett appeared on my left side, and he looked back and forth between nurse Emily and me.

He raised a brow. "Problem?"

I glared at the nurse, tired of her ridiculous behavior. "Just a misunderstanding, but I think we're clear now."

"Yes, Edward."

"Excuse me?"

"I mean Doctor Cullen."

Garrett snorted, grabbed my cup of coffee and started off down the hallway. I grabbed my patient files and followed him.

"Petty bitches," I mumbled when I caught up.

"I know, right?" He chuckled. "The natives are not happy that you and I are off the market."

"Both of us?" I was still shocked at how hard he'd fallen for Bella's roommate.

"Dude, I told you, I'm done. Angela is it for me. I'm not sure there's another woman out there who would put up with my shit."

I had to laugh; I knew the feeling. I was sure Bella was the only woman in the world who would put up with a fake engagement, my crazy family, and after all of that, my hours as a resident.

"So seriously, you're not helping us Sunday?"

"No, I'm working a double. Bella told me not to worry."

"Of course she did, she's not lifting the heavy shit!'

"The heavy shit doesn't belong to her," I argued.

"You suck." He pressed the button for the elevator and the doors opened right away. "Just for that, I'm not giving you your coffee back."

I groaned as my pager went off. He gave me a victorious smile and took a big swig of coffee as the doors slid closed. Bastard. I grinned though, because it turned out I wouldn't have to help move Angela's heavy ass sleeper sofa.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N: **

*shwoo* Wipes brow - He gave her the money, in a roundabout way! :) And we made it to the point that she's moving in! How did that happen?! Also, did you notice I finally figured out how to drop in the wedding date without making it too obvious? It sort of got overlooked, and short of telling you all to go back to read chapter 17 again or making some sort of announcement in an author's note (you don't want to know about my personal OCD-type quirks and the entire thought process behind this, I promise), I wanted to work it in. So, YAY, me! It worked. (Okay, clearly I'm tired.)

Thanks so much for reading. I'm going to try to crank out some of my last Twilight Twenty-Five prompts and read Seastarr08's original fiction like I've been promising for months!

Ohh - there's a link on my profile to the site where you can order the framed night sky picture from a particular night and location.

**What I'm reading - **

**Arms** by** Virginia May. (complete except for epi) **After a long wait, Ginnie has just posted the final chapter to this, so all that remains is the epi. This fic had me whispering at the computer trying to tell Edward that Bella wasn't who he thought she was. I was so glad to see the final chapter get posted to round off the story and can't wait for the epi.

**Summary: **After witnessing the brutal murder of her parents, sharpshooter & former Olympian Bella Swan is forced to live under a new identity as a high school student in tiny Forks, WA. Will unexpected feelings for the wrong man be her undoing or her salvation? AH

**Come Home **by** SameKraemer (complete) **This fic absolutely tore me apart the last few weeks. This Edward starts out as such an ass. He has his reasons, but -gah- and then when you find out why Bella puts up with it?! *SOB*

**SUmmary:** Edward Cullen can't remember the last year of his life, so he doesn't understand why he has to be cared for by Bella Swan, who would give anything to change thirty seconds of her life. They both lost everything. FULL SUMMARY INSIDE. AH/AH/AU. Canon couples/OOC.


	25. An Excellent Adventure

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 25: An Excellent Adventure**

**Warning/Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N:**

Thanks so much for reading. With every update I'm blown away by the amount of love you show me and this fluffly little fic.

Big thanks this week to **Barburella**, for pointing out a WHOOPS as soon as I posted the last chapter so I could fix it, and for letting me pick her brain about details in my own fic. Gotta love fic-friends like that!

As usual, thanks to **SydneyGen,** **Greenabsinthia, and Seastarr08 **for giving me their, time, friendship and expertise.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-  
>BPOV<em>

Moving in with Edward was pretty seamless. We'd spent most of July and August in each other's apartments, so we'd already learned the most important things about living together. Like how he left his towels on the floor after his shower but organized his CDs alphabetically, and how I set my bedroom clock ten minutes ahead to trick myself into getting up on time.

I had been bringing things over gradually, and I sold most of my furniture, so there was no big moving day for me. Angela on the other hand, hadn't moved a damn thing to Garrett's apartment except for a few changes of clothing, so I spent almost a full two days helping move all of her shit and listening to Garrett complain about back breaking labor. Edward had mysteriously mixed up the days and had to work, but since it was Ang's stuff we were moving anyway, I only teased him a little bit.

Thanksgiving came and went without much fanfare. Edward and Garrett had to work double shifts, so Angela and I made our way to Forks to share the holiday with our families. Edward texted me a picture of something on a cafeteria tray, but the only thing I recognized was gravy. I refrained from sending him a picture of Mrs. Weber's perfectly browned turkey, but I did send him a photo of the pumpkin pie I'd baked. He took a picture of his pouty lips, and I caved, letting him know there was another pie for him, hidden in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator at the condo.

Christmas loomed around the corner before I was prepared for it. I struggled to shop for a man who could afford to donate $5,000 to charity for me just because he felt like he owed me. In the end, I realized there was nothing I could buy him that he couldn't get for himself. I knew that it was more about the sentiment than the gift, but I realized that was the answer.

We opened gifts on Christmas morning before his shift at the hospital. He gave me a gorgeous chain with a heart shaped pendant and a collector's copy of the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. I got him a renewal for his subscription to the Journal of Emergency Medicine and a sweater that I knew would look gorgeous with his eyes.

He had no idea that those were just the things I could wrap and that his real present would arrive later. Our trip to New York had shown me how much Edward loved his family, but he rarely admitted to himself or anyone else how much he missed them. So, with Alice's help, I arranged the one thing he would never think of asking for.

"Don't fill up on Christmas cookies and crap at the nurses station," I warned as he pulled on his coat. "I'm making a full blown holiday meal for us, baby."

"I appreciate it, really," he sighed, kissing me softly, "but you shouldn't go through that much trouble just for the two of us."

"You won't convince me, so don't try. I'm going to rock out to Christmas music and make us our first Christmas dinner."

"Fine. Fine." He laughed, raising his hands in defeat. "I'll call you before I head home and make sure you don't need anything."

"Perfect. Now get out of here before you're late." And before your whole damn family shows up on the doorstep and ruins the surprise.

He gave me one more kiss and headed out the door. I texted Alice that the coast was clear and ran to our downstairs neighbor's condo to get the turkey and other groceries I'd stashed there. They were a sweet, older couple whom Edward had introduced me to when I first started staying over at his place. They had flown to Colorado to visit their daughter, and when they asked me to feed their cat for the weekend, I mentioned my plan to surprise Edward. They were thrilled to help me pull it off and offered their refrigerator along with anything else I needed.

Thirty minutes later, the Cullen women arrived, talking and laughing like usual. They'd left the men at the hotel with the kids for a few hours so we could get the majority of the prep work done without all of them underfoot. I had cooked large meals before but never entirely on my own. I'd always had Angela or her mother to help. I wasn't too sure how much help any of the Cullens would be, but Alice assured me that they could all follow instructions and read recipes.

I put them to work chopping vegetables while I got the turkey ready, and before I knew it there was a pounding at the door that could only be Emmett.

"Bella, let me in! I smell food!" he yelled.

"Hold on!" I laughed, fumbling with the lock. I barely had it open when he pushed through the door and picked me up in a bone crushing hug.

"How've you been? You keeping Eddie on his toes?"

"Of course. Rose keeping you out of trouble?"

"Nevah!" He gave me a smacking kiss on the forehead and passed me off to his father, while the twins pulled on my pant legs.

Once the greetings were done, everyone made their way into the condo. Esme mixed drinks and Alice set out some snacks while Rosalie set the twins up with a video and snuggled with the baby. The afternoon passed in what I had learned was typical Cullen family togetherness. The twins played nicely until one of them erupted into sobs, blaming the other for a heinous crime and Baby Peter toddled around and tried to touch everything he could reach. There was a lot of laughter and yelling at Emmett.

Jasper had just finished making his deviled eggs, and I had just pulled the turkey from the oven when Edward texted to tell me he was on his way home.

**E: DONE. Grabbing a shower and heading home. Need NE thing? **

**B: Just U. XOX**

**E: Soon :)**

Rose turned down the television, and everyone quieted their voices so Edward wouldn't suspect anything before he came through the door. Carlisle joined me in the kitchen and carved the turkey while I tried to keep my hands busy, putting food in serving dishes.

As the minutes ticked by I began to get increasingly nervous. Edward loved his family, but what if he didn't like the surprise? I should have seriously thought this through more. We could have spent our first Christmas together, alone. That would have been special too.

"Stop," Esme whispered, coming up behind me for a hug as I folded napkins to take to the table. "You know he's going to be happy."

"I hope so," I sighed.

"Let's get you a fresh drink."

I had to laugh. That was her solution to everything. She had made a pitcher of vodka and cranberry juice earlier, which Alice called her holiday special. "Sure, that sounds good."

I had just taken a sip when I heard Edward's keys in the lock. I snapped my fingers a couple of times and shushed everyone as I made my way towards the door.

"Something smells great," he called, walking in.

"Thanks."

I stepped forward and hugged him, stopping him before he took his coat off. I gave him a quick kiss as his eyes drifted over my shoulder and he pulled back in surprise.

"What the? Mom? Dad? Holy shit!"

"Hi, sweetie!" Esme rushed over, hugging us both as Carlisle grinned from his seat on the arm of the couch.

Everyone made their way over to us and passed Edward around in hugs to say hello. He was excited, but I could tell he was sort of dazed, still not sure it was real. When the last person stepped in front of him, laughing at his gaping expression, I wondered again for a second if it was too much. Then Edward's face broke into the biggest smile I'd ever seen, and I forgot my worries.

"Ho ho ho, Cuz," Riley laughed and pretended to tip his hat.

"What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Esme said if I wanted to kiss her under the mistletoe I'd have to come to Seattle, so here I am."

"Well, then I'm glad you're a total perv," Edward chuckled and pulled his cousin in for a hug.

They held each other for a few seconds, and I could see Ry whispering in his ear. Then the stepped back and Edward grabbed me, kissing me harder than was probably appropriate in front if his entire family, before burying his face in my shoulder.

"I can't believe you did this."

"Is it okay?"

"Jesus, Bella. It's unbelievable. I don't even want to know how you worked all of this out."

"One call to Alice, that's all it took."

He laughed again, giving me a tight squeeze. "I suppose that's all it would take."

"Let's put this bird on the table, yo. I'm getting hangry," Emmett boomed, bursting our bubble.

"I just walked in the door," Edward snapped back, "and what the fuck is hangry, ya freak?"

"And you call yourself a doctor?" Emmett clucked and shook his head. "Hangry, the condition of a person who is so hungry they're angry. Thus, hangry."

"I'm pretty sure you made that up."

"Google that shit. It's real."

"Hey," I stepped between them, even though I knew they were only teasing each other. It was just the way they were. I was actually a little surprised Riley hadn't jumped into the middle of it, agreeing with one of them. "It's a day of peace. Let's all get a drink, and we'll serve dinner."

"Yeah. Fine," they mumbled before Emmett pulled Edward into a headlock and started rubbing his knuckles into his brother's already messy hair.

I rolled my eyes and went into the kitchen, but not before I saw their mother cuff both of them on the head.

We finished putting food on the table, and I sat down to my first Christmas dinner with the Cullen family. We laughed and talked, and listened to the twins explain how Santa Claus had found them at their hotel room and delivered all of their gifts. We talked about Christmas traditions, how Charlie put a toothbrush in my stocking every year and how Emmett insisted on leaving Santa a bologna sandwich instead of cookies because that's what everyone else did.

Several times throughout the meal, I caught Esme gazing at her children with a dreamy look on her face. It wasn't until later, after we had opened gifts and were seated in the living room around the Christmas tree, that she said anything.

"Isabella, I just want to thank you for inviting us. I rarely get to spend time with all of my children anymore," her voice caught, and I reached over to grab her hand. "Doing this for Edward, for all of us, it speaks volumes about how much you love him. I'm so glad you're a part of our family now."

I had been so focused on Edward that I hadn't actually thought about what this would mean to the rest of his family. And clearly, it meant a lot. I blinked away tears and swallowed the lump in my throat.

With a shrug, I tried to laugh it off. "Edward is really hard to shop for."

Everyone laughed, and Edward pulled me onto his lap and into his arms. We stayed like that until Carlisle and Esme left to take the kids back to the hotel, then we ended up back at the dining table with a deck of cards and a bottle of Irish whiskey Riley brought.

The drinking and laughing went late into the night. Edward had such a great time. I felt like I could see the tension melt away from his frame. At one point, I came back from the kitchen to see Edward and Riley's heads together, grinning and whispering about something. I stopped in my tracks, just watching them, torn by how good it was to see them so happy and terrified at the realization that Edward would always miss his family if we stayed in Seattle.

He wasn't unhappy in Seattle by any means. He told me that he loved the city and wanted to stay, that he didn't want to practice medicine in his father's shadow. I just couldn't imagine having to give this up. Permanently. We hadn't talked about his post-residency plans in a while, though I knew he'd spoken to his father's friend at Harborview about future openings in the emergency room there. But seeing him, his whole face lit up as he goofed around with his brothers and cousin, I wondered if he had truly thought through what it would mean to stay in Seattle for good.

Edward gave me a wink and I shook my head to clear my thoughts. We had plenty of time to talk about our future and as Emmett poured another round of shots, I put the topic out of my head and made my way back to the table to enjoy the rest of the night.

I woke in the morning, sweating like I was in a sauna and with a pounding headache. I could barely move, but after a few seconds, I discovered it was because Edward was sleeping almost on top of me. I wiggled to get out from under him, but he was too heavy and I was too hung over.

"Hey," I rasped. "You have to move."

"I can't." His voice was gravelly, and it came from somewhere buried in my shoulder.

"You have to. I think my head is going to explode, and I know I'm going to pee in your bed if I don't get to the bathroom."

"Meh. I'm used to blood and urine."

"I'm not," I snorted and my head hurt like hell. I pushed on his shoulder. "Seriously. Get off."

He groaned and rolled over, burying his head under a pillow. I went to the bathroom and found some ibuprofen before I stumbled to the kitchen to start some coffee. Bodies and blankets littered the living room, but it was the sight in the kitchen that stopped me short. I turned around without a word and went back to the bedroom, too scarred to even think about making coffee.

I climbed over Edward and flopped on the bed. "I need brain bleach."

"Wha?"

I flipped the pillow off his head and onto the floor. "I just saw your brother's naked ass in the kitchen. I can't unsee that."

He laughed, then winced and grabbed his head. "I told you at the beach someone in my family didn't wear pants."

"How the hell was I supposed to remember that?"

He snorted and stole my pillow. "You'll never forget now."

No, I certainly wouldn't.

When we finally dragged ourselves out of bed, Edward's parents had arrived with the kids and bags full of take out food for breakfast. We spent a few more hours with his family before they had to go back to the hotel and pack and Edward had to head into the hospital. All in all, my first Christmas with the Cullens was a roaring success.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Edward and Garrett both worked on New Years Eve, so Angela and I celebrated like old times, drinking champagne and watching movies in our pajamas. It was good to reconnect with her, and we promised that despite seeing each other at work everyday, we'd make more of an effort to get together on the weekends.

On Valentine's Day, I received a box of chocolates and bouquet of red roses at work. The blooms were large and fragrant, and I spent the afternoon grinning at them like a lovesick fool. Though roses and chocolates were the ultimate cliché, Edward knew that no one had ever sent them to me. When I had been dating Paul, I'd been lucky to get a card for Valentine's Day.

We had plans to make dinner together, so I was beyond disappointed when Edward texted to say he had to work a double shift. I looked at my roses on the mantle and sighed. What had started as my best Valentine's Day ever, had fallen flat.

I wandered to the refrigerator and debated heating up some leftovers or making the dinner we had planned. As I shifted the boxes around on the shelves, I realized that our night didn't have to be ruined. I pulled the containers out of the fridge with a renewed sense of excitement and got down to cooking.

Two hours later, I carried the picnic basket Edward used during his proposal into the hospital. I stopped at the nurses station and talked with Jen, one of the friendlier E.R. nurses whom I knew would help me out. She practically swooned and rushed me out of the triage area so Edward wouldn't see me. I took the elevator down to the lower level and set up our picnic in the back hallway where I knew Edward sometimes liked to hide out when he had downtime. After about ten minutes, I heard the elevator ding, and I looked up to see a grinning Edward coming down the hall.

"Whatcha doing, Swan?"

"Having dinner with my man."

"Oh, shit, am I interrupting?" He looked around as if there might be someone else there with me.

"Har. Har."

He sat down next to me and leaned over to give me a kiss. "You brought me dinner?"

"Mm hm." I nodded and kissed him again. It was easy to get lost in his kisses.

"You didn't have to do this, baby. I still want to have our night; I love when I get to cook with you."

"I know, and we will, but... I didn't want to eat alone tonight."

"I can't argue with that." He cupped my cheek and kissed my forehead before sitting back against the wall. He rubbed his hands together and grinned as he looked at the food I had set out. "Everything looks great."

I dished up our food, green salad and pasta with grilled chicken and pesto, while Edward poured us each a glass of ginger ale. We ate and talked quietly about our days and tried to decide when we would make up our cooking date. Eventually, Edward leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. He'd been working for close to twelve hours, and I knew he was tired. I took his hand and put my head on his shoulder, taking a minute to rest myself.

"I talked to Dr. Snow at Harborview today," he said quietly, startling me.

"You did?"

"Yeah, he'd like me to come over sometime when I'm off and check out the department over there."

I'd continued to think about Christmas with his family. I hadn't brought up my concerns but, apparently, it couldn't wait any longer.

Sitting up, I licked my lips and turned sideways to face him. "Are you sure you want to go to Harborview?

He cocked his head, confused. "Yeah, why? Have you heard something bad about their E.R.?"

"No," I said slowly before pausing to figure out exactly how to say what I was thinking. "Are you sure you want to stay in Seattle? I just mean, it was so good to see you with your family. I worry about what you're giving up by staying out here."

"Babe, I've been through it over and over, before I even moved out here. I want to do this on my own, to build my own name." He drew his knees up and circled them with his arms. "I know it's hypocritical to say that and then interview with one of Carlisle's old friends, but my main interest in Harborview is that it's part of the U-dub system. This past year, I've really enjoyed working with the first year residents. You know, teaching them and helping them relate to patients. I want to be able to work with students or residents, and I'm not too proud to accept a foot in the door."

"If that's what you want, have you considered doing it any closer to home? I don't mean New York, but Chicago, Detroit, even Boston would be closer but not in your dad's immediate circle. I just-" I stopped, not sure I could come right out and tell him what was worrying me.

He pushed some hair over my shoulder before taking my hand and gently rubbing his thumb over my palm.

"What are you thinking?"

I bit my lip as I looked down at our joined hands, then I lifted my eyes to meet his gaze. His eyes were full of concern, and it melted my heart.

"We're so far away from your family." I glanced down and let out a deep breath before looking back up at him. "I don't want our kids to grow up without them."

He took in a sharp breath and his eyes got wide. I could see the shock register on his face. Then, as quickly as it came, it was gone, replaced with his signature panty dropping smile.

"Our kids?"

"Stop it," I laughed, hitting his shoulder. "I'm being serious. My family consists of my dad, you, Garrett and Angela. If you want to get crazy, we can include Ang's parents and brothers. But you've got siblings and cousins, and nieces and a nephew. You're parents are like... Jim and Cindy Walsh or something."

"Nice. They're oblivious to their children and constantly trying to be cool?"

"Don't interrupt. You know what I mean. I just... I think you need to really think about committing yourself to staying so far away from them."

He sat up straight and turned towards me, leaning his shoulder on the wall. "Bella, I know what you're saying and, God," he lifted our hands and held them over his heart, "I can't tell you how much it means to me that you're thinking about this. That you brought my family, including Riley, here for Christmas." He shook his head, but he was still smiling. "But for now, for the next couple of years, this is where I want to be. I love Seattle. I love having you show me your state.

"Let's just be us for a little while. Edward and Bella. Then in a couple of years, if you don't hate my family yet, we'll have this talk again. If by then you want to move closer to my family so you can let my mom and a nanny watch the kids for the weekend, great, but right now...I just want you to myself."

By the time he was finished, tears were rolling down my face. He leaned close, cupping my face with his hand.

"Why are you crying, baby?"

"Because you're so freakin' sweet," I sniffed, wiping my eyes.

"Psh," he laughed. "It's all true. I love you, and I don't want to share you with my mom yet."

I grabbed a napkin and wiped my nose. "I like your mom, but I never want to see your brother's naked ass again as long as I live."

"I can make no promises on that one. Actually, I can probably guarantee it's not the last time you'll see it. Emmett has no shame, and a tendency to sleep naked and eat breakfast pantsless. I think he was just being nice in the Hamptons. I couldn't believe you never saw him then."

I started to giggle, and I couldn't seem to stop. Edward's family was so perfect but at the same time insane. They were a great mixture of cookie cutter sitcom and slapstick comedy.

Edward nudged my shoulder. "At least he had his back to you."

When I finally stopped laughing, we had about another ten minutes together before Edward's pager went off.

He checked the message and sighed. "I'm sorry, but I've got to get back."

"I know." I stood and reached down to pull him up. I wasn't upset. I'd wanted to see him and eat together and we'd gotten that. Hell, our conversation about staying in Seattle had turned out so much better than I imagined.

He gave me a hug and kissed me one more time. "I love you, Bella. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but you're stuck with me. You know that, right?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Doc." I squeezed his shoulders and knew I had to let him go to work.

"You want me to help you pack this up?"

"No, I've got it," I said, stepping back. "Get out of here. Go save some lives or something."

He hesitated for a second, then nodded. He kissed my forehead and took a few steps backward before turning and jogging towards the stairwell.

Pausing before opening the door he gave me another smile. "Love you!"

"Love you, too. Now go!"

He gave me a little wave and was gone. The door clanged shut loudly, and the hallway was quiet again. I sighed and finished packing up our picnic and folding the blanket I'd laid out. I threw the blanket in a bag and grabbed the basket before I made my way to the elevator.

I chuckled at the advertisement on the wall just above the up and down buttons. It was a gorgeous picture of Mt. Ranier in the spring time with the tagline, "What's your excellent Washington State adventure?"

I reached up, taking the heart pendant Edward had given me for Christmas between my thumb and forefinger and smiled. I was on the best kind of adventure with Edward ever.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:  
><strong>So, did you forget about the pantsless relative? Just like Bella, you'll never forget again! LOL**  
><strong>This chapter didn't cover as much time as I initially planned for it to, but I think it made up for it in swooniness... Thanks so much for reading!

**What I've been reading:  
><strong>It's been a blizzard here, so I've had snow on the brain... Here are a couple of Skiwards from my favorites list -

**Negative Twenty and Falling** by **Katinki **(complete o/s but 20,000 words LOL)  
>Two weeks, a few cups of cocoa, a mountain of snow, a pair of mittens, and one Mr. Perfect-Gorgeous. I present to you: Skiward. Just a little bit of wintery fluff so that you don't think I'm always so doom and gloom. AH.<p>

**Off Piste** by **Landdownunder (mulit chapter - complete)  
><strong>Edward is a professional skier while Bella is an ex-Olympian, still involved in the industry. They haven't seen each other since one memorable encounter a few years ago; now the Vancouver Winter Olympics will have them sharing the same slopes once again. AH


	26. Liar, Liar, Sex on Fire

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 26: Liar, Liar, Sex on Fire **

**Warning/Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight, I'm only borrowing the characters. You all know this.

**A/N:**

**HOLY GUACAMOLE! Over 3,000 reviews?! You guys - I cannot even begin to tell you how crazy that is! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing and taking this ride with me. *Pours celebratory drinks for us all* You guys are the best! **

Wow. I had no idea you all were going to end up fighting over pantsless Emmett! Then again, I'm pretty sure any pantsless Cullen male would be hot. And Garrett. UNF.

So, I'm sorry to give you a repeat BPOV...but E wasn't talking. I stared at the same 300 words for over a week and couldn't do anything with it. When I realized B had things to say, it was much easier. Then my youngest got sick...only to be followed by my husband...and then there was no time for any character who was talking to me anyway! LOL

Alright - here's the lowdown - I finished this chapter last night just before my oldest got sick and my betas/prereaders haven't had time to look at it. SydeneyGen is sleeping in a land down under and CS and Green are at work. I'll fix any mistakes as soon as I can. I just wanted to get it up for you. *snort* Dirty girls, I didn't mean it that way!

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-  
>BPOV<em>

March passed in a blur of preparations for spring vacation trip to New York. I did manage to go out with Angela for St. Patrick's day where, despite Edward's complaint that it was un-Irish, we got shit faced drunk on kamikazes.

We drunk texted our men and acted silly, joking that we had to drink their share of alcohol too because they were both working. Garrett picked us up when he got off work around one in the morning. He helped me to the bedroom and left me with a bottle of water and some painkillers on the bedside table.

Edward had worked an overnight, and he came home only to have to hold my hair while I threw up over and over. It was actually kind of amazing because I knew how tired he was, but he didn't complain once about having to stay awake. It was still our drink choice that he bitched about.

"This is because you didn't take my advice."  
>"If you'd stuck to whiskey you wouldn't be feeling like this."<br>"You're almost a Cullen. That shit you were drinking last night is a crime on St. Paddy's day."

Finally, I looked at him over my shoulder as I wiped my mouth with the towel he'd gotten for me.

"I love you, but if you don't shut up I'm going to turn around and puke on you."

"I'm just saying," he raised his hands and shrugged.

"I know what you're just saying, but I drink vodka - not whiskey. If you were there, I might have had whiskey, but you weren't."

"Really? You're going to make this about me not being there?"

He seemed upset all of the sudden, and I wasn't sure what had happened. My brain was fuzzy, but my stomach had finally stopped churning. I pushed myself up from leaning against the toilet and put my back against the wall, trying to clear my head.

"What?"

"I thought you were okay with it. I had to work."

"Oh. Crap. That's not what I meant. I know you had to work, I'm not upset about that. I'm not upset about anything. What I meant was, if you had been there, drinking whiskey, I may have been inclined to have some too, or to do a body shot of it off your fuckhot abs or something, but you weren't there, and it was just me and Angela, who also likes vodka, so that's what we drank."

I ran a hand through my tangled hair and let my pounding head fall back against the cold tile. "And holy shit, we drank too much of it."

"I have fuckhot abs?" He grinned and lifted his shirt to tease me with those same defined muscles.

I rolled my eyes, but it made my head hurt, so I ended up groaning and massaging my temples. He knew he looked good. Despite his crazy schedule, he always found time to run and go to the gym a couple times a week.

"Aw, baby," he chuckled, scooting closer and pulling me into a hug. "Let's get you some Gatorade and put you back to bed."

"I only like the green kind," I mumbled into his shoulder and let him pull me off the floor.

"I know." He nodded and ran his thumb under my eye, probably wiping away some remaining eye-makeup from the night before. I had to look like absolute hell. "You should probably brush your teeth, but then the Gatorade will taste like shit."

I ran my tongue over my front teeth, and they felt wooly and gross. "No choice."

He laughed and kissed my forehead before moving towards the door.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?" He paused and looked over his shoulder at me.

"Thank you. You're pretty incredible, you know?"

"Nah, I just love you."

He winked and closed the door behind him, leaving me grinning at nothing.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

The trip to New York was Alice's idea, well, it was actually more of a demand. She had been complaining that I had very little concept of what it meant to have a wedding dress custom made, and she finally put her foot down, insisting that I come east for a fitting. Then she decided the trip also had to serve as a bachelorette weekend because Edward and I would only be in New York a few days before the wedding.

I understood where Alice was coming from. It wasn't that I didn't want to try on my dress because I did. I just wasn't sure about going to New York without Edward. It was his place, or our place, but not mine. We hadn't spent much time in the city on our previous trip, and I kind of wanted Edward to be the one to show me around.

I tried to explain it to Angela during lunch in my classroom, and she gave me the bitch brow.

"For real? Like, who are you? When did Bella Swan become so fucking codependent she can't go to one of the greatest cities on the planet without her security blanket?"

I put my milk carton down on the table so quickly it splashed up out of the spout onto my hand. "Wow. Complete bitch much? That was harsh."

She waved a carrot stick at me like she was some kind of diva. "You need a reality check, babe. I know you love Edward, and you want to be all coupley, but you're still you, the girl who loves road trips and visiting new places. New York is the ultimate city to experience. Let's do it!"

"Alice is going to have us on a schedule..."

"I'll deal with Alice." Her eyebrow raised again, but this time it was in challenge. "What do you say?"

It's not like I could get out of it, and I didn't truly want to. I just needed a push I guess, a reminder that despite all of the changes I was still, at the heart of it, me.

"I'm in."

With Angela on board, we started to make plans and look at airfare. The next thing I knew, I was stomping around the kitchen bickering with Edward about his paying for the tickets.

"You're being ridiculous. I can just put them on my credit card." I forcefully closed the silverware drawer before taking our flatware and a basket of garlic bread to the table.

"It's not ridiculous. I have a trust fund. I don't use it often, but traveling is a pain in the ass and if we can afford to do it comfortably, why not?" He leaned against the counter, his hip cocked, his jeans slung low. He was carelessly sexy in the way that only men who really had no idea how sexy they were could pull off.

"Because I don't need it. First class? It was nice, but Ang and I can just sit with everyone else in coach."

"What if I had frequent flyer miles, would you let me use those?" He hopped up to sit on the counter and continued to watch as I flitted around the kitchen. "It's basically the same thing."

I rolled my eyes. He was so full of shit. "How exactly are flyer miles and your mad money the same?"

"That's exactly how they're the same, it's mad money. I don't use my grandparent's money very often. I don't count on it and live extravagantly. I just... occasionally indulge."

I snorted as I dished up our plates of spaghetti and meatballs. "But you don't inhale?"

"Exactly."

He chuckled and slid off the counter, grabbed our plates before I could and carried them to the table. I picked up the wine instead, putting the glasses between my fingers and moving into the dining room. We took our seats and Edward poured the wine. The conversation drifted to our food and the Italian restaurant opening around the corner.

While we talked, my mind hashed over our petty argument. I didn't want him to think I expected him to spend money on me. I knew he didn't, not really, but I didn't want him to ever get that impression. I thought about Christmas and Valentine's Day, and I realized that he would never think that. He knew that it was the meaning behind things that were important to me and, in this case, he wanted me to be comfortable. He wanted to take care of me, and if I let myself be honest, I wanted that too.

We finished our meal and I studied my wine, slowly swirling it in my glass.

"Hypothetically," I sighed, "if you had frequent flyer miles, I would agree to use them."

He reached over and squeezed my hand. "Consider your flights booked."

I didn't realize he'd never actually admitted to having frequent flyer miles until I was sitting in the back of a town car with Alice and Angela in heavy New York City traffic.

"First class is the bomb!" Ang laughed and gave a fist pump to match her outdated phrase. "Thank God and baby Jesus he had those miles for us to use."

"What mi-" Alice started, then stopped with her mouth open for a heartbeat before correcting herself. "That was so nice of him!"

That sneaky fucker. I laughed to myself. He didn't have any miles. I should have known better. He hadn't flown home more than a couple of times in the past few years. He couldn't have earned enough points for a trip in coach class, let alone two in first class. I wasn't mad, per say, but I was going to have to think about how to pay him back for his little omission.

"So, here's the plan." Alice tapped her phone a couple of times and scrolled through a few screens before grinning at us. "We'll settle into the hotel tonight and grab some dinner. Dress fitting in the morning, a couple of spa treatments, then out on the town for the night to do bachelorette stuff. Another quick dress fitting before lunch, then-"

"Whoa!" Angela held up her hand and laughed. "Breathe, small one. I've never been to New York, is there some free time scheduled in there?"

"Um. Well. No, but... I mean." She looked at me, dumbfounded and I burst out laughing.

"It's okay, Alice. Ang, you don't need to stick around for the fittings. I mean, I'd like you to come see the dress, but if you want to head out on your own you could just meet us at the spa or something. And you know what, I bet Rose would show you around a little."

I could see the relief on Alice's face. Rose had forwarded me an email outlining the schedule, and I knew things were fairly tight. I also knew that Angela wouldn't survive for that long in a completely structured environment. That would have been like caging a wild animal.

Ang laughed loudly. "Rose and I on the loose in the city? That's just asking for trouble. Will Edward loan us bail money?"

"I'm sure Emmett will keep you out of jail," I laughed, and Alice nodded.

"Oh yeah! I totally forgot he's a cop. Do you think he can tell me where to get some real handcuffs? Garrett and I-"

"Oh my God! Stop!" I interrupted, still laughing. I'd heard way too much about her sex life with Garrett on the flight from Seattle. "I'm maxed out on your TMI today!"

Alice shushed me with her hand. "Don't be a prude, Bella! We're going to the Pleasure Chest tomorrow night, so you better get over it!"

Fuck my life. I loved Edward's family, but I so didn't want to spend time at a sex shop with them. I could only imagine Wonder Vodka Woman waving around vibrators and squirting lube. It could be epic, or a complete catastrophe. I didn't even want to think about it.

"Really?" Angela was almost excited as Alice. I might have to get drunk with Esme to endure it.

"Yes!" She glanced at me, hesitating for a second. "Well, I guess I can tell you. I mean, it's tomorrow already, we all chipped in on a gift card so you can stock up on some goodies. We were going to go to the blowjob class, but we just don't have enough time."

"Bella doesn't need a blowjob class." Ang chuckled, waggling her eyebrows. "We've studied some porn."

"Angela! You don't tell people that!"

"Alice isn't _people!_"

"I'm so glad you came with her!" Alice laughed and patted Angela on the leg. I was mortified.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

My wedding dress was gorgeous. I stared in the mirror and considered how much it would stink if I kept it on until June, because I truly didn't want to take it off. The beading that wrapped around my ribcage was gorgeous and had sapphire accents that highlighted the matching stones in my engagement ring.

I stood with my hand on my stomach, slighting turning my torso to watch the crystals and my ring glitter in the mirror.

"You look beautiful," Esme whispered behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder at her and smiled. "I love it."

"Of course you do!"

I turned so I could see the back of the dress again in one of the angled mirrors. I couldn't believe how perfect it was. Every detail was spot on. It was exactly what I'd try to describe to Alice when we found the _almost _dress in Seattle. Small buttons ran the length of the zipper along my lower back. The beaded back had a thin diamond cut out just above the zipper which allowed you to see a peak of my pale skin. It was sexy but not overtly.

When I took my eyes away from my own reflection, I realized that Alice, Rose and Angela had all crowded into the dressing area with Esme and me. Ang and Alice were grinning like fools and Rose was wiping tears from her cheeks. Alice's designer friend Alistair joined us with a flourish, waving his hands in front of his face, oohing and aahing. He proclaimed the dress the perfect style for me and set about pinning a couple of spots to be taken in.

Alice had been totally cool about Angela's plan to sight see, and rescheduled her and Rose's mani-pedi appointments for the following day. Esme, Alice and I, however, left her friend's studio to be massaged, buffed, painted and curled.

When we were finished, I was thankful that Alice had arranged a car service to take us back to the hotel because I felt very underdressed in my casual jeans and sweater set. It didn't go at all with the sleek and stylish hairdo or my dark, smokey eyes makeup. As a matter of fact, I wasn't sure the dress I had packed for the evening would do my make-over justice. I should have known better than to worry though, as soon as we got to the hotel Alice started pulling designer dresses and matching shoes out of the closet and handing them out like candy.

Rose and Angela returned from their trek around the city and Alice gave them each a dress and shoes as well. The woman had some serious connections in fashion.

By the time we left for dinner, I felt like a different person. On top of the incredible hair and makeup I had going on, I wore a skintight black dress and a pair of Jimmy Choo stilettos that Alice said were mine to keep. Everyone else looked just as good, and we texted our significant others a couple of pictures before we headed out. Their responses were all very similar.

**Hot.  
><strong>**Fuck yeah, baby!  
><strong>**Whoa.  
><strong>**UNF.  
><strong>**Gorgeous, as always, love.**

We were a group of lucky women, that was for sure.

Dinner was at a pretentious restaurant Alice loved that served tiny food on giant plates. The food was gorgeous and delicious, but there wasn't a lot of it. I texted a picture to Edward who responded with, **Shake Shack is open til 12 xox**

When Alice announced it was time to move on to our next location, Esme grabbed the tab and refused to let me see it. I could only imagine how expensive our meal was, but I'd had several cocktails at that point, and Angela was attempting to speak French to the waiter to hilarious results, so I got distracted. So distracted that I forgot what our second destination was.

"Oh fuck," I muttered looking up at the neon sign.

"Did you think she was kidding?" Angela laughed.

"I was hoping?" I did not want to go inside. I wasn't a prude, but no one should ever go to a sex shop with their soon to be mother-in-law, even if she was an alcohol infused super hero.

"Come on! Oh! And here's your gift card!"

Alice handed it to me and followed Rose and Angela out of the car. The card had the amount $500 discreetly written on it in Sharpie marker. Holy shitballs. Five hundred dollars to spend at the sex shop? What the fuck was I going to buy?

"Oh honey, they're got some great high end vibrators," Esme laughed and patted my leg.

"I said that out loud?"

She smiled and nodded before leading me out of the car.

I was shocked at how fast I was able to spend the entire amount. Massage oil, honey dust, a satin blindfold, the Hitachi Magic Wand that I had been eyeing on the website, and a few other little things. It was liberating, mortifying, and exhilarating all at once. Or maybe I was just moving at warp speed because I needed more alcohol to blur the memories of seeing Esme purchasing a door jam sex sling. I had to put mine back after that. There was no way I was buying it with images of my soon-to-be in-laws fucking like rabbits.

When we loaded our purchases into the back of the hired car, and I heaved a sigh of releif that we were moving on to the next part of the evening. Alice told the driver the name of the bar we were headed to, and I fell a little in love with Rosalie thanks to her reaction.

"Fuck no! This is about Bella," she leaned forward and gave the driver an address. "We're not going to your fancy pants club, our girl just wants to chill and have some cocktails. Right?"

Angela gave her a high five while Alice pouted a little. "I thought it would be fun, different."

"I know Alice," I assured her with a nod.

"But you're too sober, and I bought this deck of bachelorette Truth or Dare cards!" Angela laughed, then reached up and bumped the roof of the car with her palm several times as if to tell the driver to hurry. "Let's move!"

Rose had the driver drop us off at a classy but laid back sports bar that she told us Emmett liked. The rest of the night was a hazy slideshow. A cocktail glass that never seemed to get empty. Dancing on a table with Angela and some random waitress. Esme and Rose doing body shots off of a hot young guy. Alice purposely spilling a glass of something on a mean girl who'd been giving us dirty looks. Rosalie taking every dare that Angela threw at her.

I woke on the bathroom floor next to Rosalie, who was asleep in the bathtub. I smelled coffee but couldn't even think about moving to go find it. I groaned as I tried to sit up and woke Rose in the process.

"Fuck, girl, be quiet."

"I wasn't that loud," I whined back.

"Oh, girls! You're up!" Esme sang from the doorway when she saw us moving. How was she functioning? The woman had out drank all of us the night before. "I have coffee and some breakfast from room service. You'll feel better when you get something in your stomachs."

"I'll feel better when I'm dead," Angela groaned from somewhere behind her.

There was a loud thump and then Alice cried out. "Ow! Fuck!"

Rose started to laugh but stopped and grabbed at her head in pain. "Crap, that hurts. Did Alice fall out of bed?"

"No!" Alice called as Angela and Esme both said, "Yes!"

"Classic," Rose chuckled. "Good times."

I put my arms around my legs and rested my head on my knees. It hadn't been the typical bachelorette with strippers or penis necklaces, but I wouldn't have wanted either of those. The fact was, our night was fun, and I had been able to bond a little more with Edward's family. Despite how crazy they were sometimes, I was pretty sure they already thought of me as one of their own and, even with a raging hangover, that made me unbelievably happy.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-  
><em>

**A/N:  
><strong>Shwooooooo. Big sigh. I have no idea why that chapter was so hard to pull out of my brain! It was fairly fluffy, but it took a lot out of me! I hope you enjoyed it! Back to Edward next update, he's already whispering about what he wants to say.

Thanks so much for reading! The wedding is so close I can almost taste it!

**Reading Recs:  
><strong>I had a conversation on FB the other day about what fics you would read over and over. That's a hard question for sure. But I'd have to say the fic I've re-read the most is **Behind Enemy Lines by adorablecullens**, which is unfortunately not on FFnet any longer, but if you poke around I'm sure you can find a PDF of it. (In fact, I Googled it just now and a couple copies come up...let me know if you're desperate.) Here's the summary - International aid worker Bella Swan enters a war zone to find the man she's loved for the last 10 years. It's a race against time to save Edward Cullen from the depths of an appalling humanitarian crisis and get him out from behind enemy lines.

I've also read **Elemental by TallulahBelle** quite a few times. I was really hesitant at first, because it's so different - but then I fell in love with it. Hard.  
>Summary: AUAH: When the Swans return to their birthplace, Bella learns she is no ordinary teenager, and Forks is no ordinary town. Can she fulfill her destiny with the powerful Edward Cullen, or will the dark forces that threaten their families destroy them all?

Since BEL isn't on FFnet, I'll give you one more that I go back to repeatedly.

**Stay by CrimsonMarie** this is a favorite actorward for me. He's so down to earth and sweet! .  
>Summary: As an actor, Edward Cullen is surrounded by people that he couldn't really care less about. What happens when he buys a house in the middle of nowhere and meets his new neighbors? AH, AU, ExB, rated M for future chapters and language.<p> 


	27. Love and Luck

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 27: Love and Luck**

**A/N: **So... I learned from the last update that St. Patrick's Day is also called St. Paddy's - NOT St. Patty's - thanks to the several of you who corrected me. I blame the kamikazes *wink*, and the fact that I don't know any male Pat's who go by anything other than Pat or Patrick. OH - but I do know one we call Tricky, but that's another story. LOL

OMG I'm so glad that I rec'd BEL last week! So fun to find so many other people who love it and to introduce it to new readers! VANGUARD!

Thanks so much to everyone reading - you all continue to blow me away.

Thanks to **SydneyGen,** **Greenabsinthia, and Seastarr08. **I love my crazy, global prereading girls. And I'm pretty sure Gen is planning a death match to fight Angela for Garrett.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-  
>EPOV<em>

Garrett pulled his shirt over his head and flexed in the full length mirror in the locker room. He turned to the left, then the right and sighed.

"What does Bee's Knees think about strippers?"

"What?" I grabbed my jeans from my locker and pulled them on, irritated, wondering what the fuck my fiancée and strippers had to do with him checking himself out in the mirror.

"Strippers." He grabbed his jeans and shook them out before slipping into them. "Does she have a thing about them?"

"She does." I chuckled, although he probably had no idea how funny her 'thing' was.

We'd had the stripper talk before she went to New York for her dress fitting and bachelorette. I'd teased her about Alice hiring an exotic dancer, and by the time she finished explaining what she didn't like about them, my stomach muscles hurt from laughing.

"_Be sure to text me some pictures of Magic Mike or whoever Alice has dance for you, so I know whose ass to kick when I come to New York." _

"_What are you talking about?" Bella stopped putting clothes into her suitcase and turned to face me. _

"_My sister, you know she's hiring some hot dude to get naked for you." _

"_Um, she better not be." _

"_What?" I knew that strippers were more of a guy thing, but Bella was no prude. She and Angela admittedly watched porn for pointers on blow jobs and positions._

"_I don't want a stripper. They're gross." She had a look of pure disgust on her face that surprised me. "Do you know how many dirty hands have touched them?" _

_I burst out laughing, thinking about the economy sized bottle of hand sanitizer in her classroom. "__That's__ your issue with strippers, not that they objectify themselves or are stereotyped as whores?" _

"_Seriously, every woman knows someone who's been a stripper. It's not as glamorous as movies and TV make it look, and sure, some of them are slutty, but a lot of them are students and mothers. They put in their eight or ten hours and go home. _

"_They don't objectify themselves any more than models or actresses these days, but they do let people touch them." She shuddered. "A lot of people touch them." _

"_People touch each other all the time. I bet the checkout clerk at the grocery store has filthy hands." _

"_Duh, I know that, but strippers are like, almost naked. There's way more exposed skin to touch." _

"_Swan, do you have some kind of germ phobia I don't know about?" I tried hard not to laugh at her, but she was so freaked out it was adorable. _

"_Stop it. It's not like you don't have your own issues. I just don't want a stripper." She smacked my arm, laughing, then stopped suddenly, her eyes wide. "Oh my God, what if you have a stripper? I can't even think about it. Oh shit. Don't let her touch you. Fuck, I sound like a crazy person." _

"_You kind of do, babe. I work in a hospital, I'm pretty good about washing my hands." _

"_I know! But I don't want the stripper-germs on you in the first place!" She snorted, then laughed, and suddenly we were both bent over, shaking with laughter. _

Garrett ran his hands through his hair and slammed his locker before turning to me.

"So, what, strippers are a big no for the bachelorette or what she doesn't know won't hurt her?"

"No, you can get a stripper. I just..." I shook my head and slipped my shoes on, wondering how to explain Bella's issues with strippers. "There should be no touching."

"Are you kidding me?" He huffed. "I thought Bella was cooler than that!"

"No! It's not that, well, I don't know what you're thinking, but you're probably wrong. It's not about them being strippers per say..." I sighed. "She thinks they're gross, but only because they have a lot of germs."

"Seriously?" He raised an eyebrow, and I knew he still wasn't on the same page.

We headed out of the locker room, and I tried to explain stripper-germs.

"Here's the thing, she works all day with hyper, horny pre-teens, you know? There's not much you can do to shock her, but those kids she works with are fuckin' slobs. They cough on each other all day, and Bella's convinced none of them wash their hands. So she's got this germ thing, and she has sort of convinced herself that strippers are covered in germs because of how many people are always touching them."

"Dude, that's... I don't even know what to say to that. It's so elementary it's stupid, but it's not."

"Right?" I laughed.

"Alright then, one stripper in a biohazard suit, I'll see what I can do."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

With a lot of begging, and promises of several thirty-some hour shifts, Garrett and I managed to get two days off in a row for the bachelor party. I'd considered waiting until we got to New York, but I couldn't imagine unleashing Garrett on the city and not having one of us end up in jail. In the end, Emmett, Jasper, Riley, Randall, and my father flew to Seattle.

"Drink up, Cuz!"

Riley put a shot on the bar in front of me, right next to my half empty pilsner of beer. The drink was clear, maybe a little hazy, and all I knew was that it wasn't whiskey. We had just finished dinner at some downtown restaurant Garrett had chosen based on it's location near DreamGirls, and we were grabbing a round of drinks at the bar.

"What's that?" I tapped my finger on the side of the glass.

"Frequent flyer."

"A what?"

"You heard me."

He laughed and turned to my brother and Jasper, pointing at the television that showed coverage of the upcoming Mariners series against the Yankees.

Garrett sat on the other side of me and raised an eyebrow as he waited for me to drink. I rolled my eyes and tossed it back. It was vodka, and I didn't know what else, but it was familiar. I thanked God it wasn't some fruity schnapps that would turn my stomach, although I didn't hold out much hope that I wouldn't end the night hanging over a toilet throwing up.

"You about ready to head to the club?"

I had worked a full day before meeting everyone at dinner and was exhausted. It had been a busy shift, including everything from car crash victims to an elderly gentleman who mangled his hand on a lawn mower blade.

I shrugged at Garrett, not caring if we stayed a little longer or headed around the corner. I couldn't lie and say I didn't want to go to DreamGirls. I'm a guy, I wouldn't mind looking at hot, mostly naked women dancing, but I would have preferred to go home to my fianceé.

"I'm at your mercy. Get me a drink or let's move on."

"This is supposed to be fun, Edward." My father chuckled from behind me and I turned to face him.

"I know, and I'm having fun-"

"But he's ready for tits and ass!" Emmett loudly interrupted.

"That is _so_ not what I was going to say."

"Yeah, because you're a lame ass douche." Emmett patted my shoulder and Jasper shook his head at Em's ridiculousness.

"Do you hear him?" I looked at my father, who was trying not to laugh.

He shrugged one shoulder and looked a little apologetic. "You are being kind of lame."

Randall nodded. "Strippers, Ed. Mostly naked stripers. Come on."

Garrett nudged me and spoke so only I could hear, "Mostly naked with a shit ton of stripper cooties."

"Shut it." I elbowed him in the ribs. I didn't want to talk about Bella's weird fear of stripper germs in front of everyone, although just the thought of it made me smile a little.

We found a table near the stage and another round of drinks appeared in front of me. I knew it was going to be a long night. I hadn't even finished my first beer when Riley handed me another shot. I raised an eyebrow, and he knew what I was asking.

"Frequent flyer."

I had never heard of them before tonight, but the first one had been fine, so I tossed it back.

The girls on the stage did their thing, and Emmett and Garrett made fools of themselves catcalling and whistling. Jasper, Riley, Randall and my dad were much calmer, slowly sipping their drinks and occasionally sliding bills into the strings on the dancer's outfits. I used a wad of cash from Garrett to tip the dancers myself, and my beer glass somehow never got empty.

When Riley slid the third clear shot in front of me, I knew something was up.

"Really?"

He shrugged and lifted his drink to hide his smirk.

"What am I missing?"

He knew I rarely drank vodka. I was a whiskey or beer guy. I enjoyed sipping expensive scotch, but I tolerated vodka because it was my mother's, and Bella's, drink of choice. I narrowed my eyes and gave him a questioning look. That was exactly it.

"Frequent flyers? Are you sure these aren't kamikazes?"

He barked out a laugh before taking a drink of his beer. I swallowed the shot and wondered exactly how pissed Bella had been when she figured out I'd actually paid for her plane tickets.

"A kamikaze? Is Bella here? That's a chick shot." Garrett interrupted my thoughts, his words beginning to slur. "Waitress! Bring my friend here the four horsemen."

Fuck. I'd been drinking a steady stream of beer and had just done my third frequent flyer, kamikaze, or whatever you wanted to call it, and now he was bringing out the big guns. Johnnie Walker, Jim Beam, Jack Daniels and Jameson's.

"Add a shot of José," Emmett called to our waitress as she walked away. He grinned and patted my shoulder. "Goodnight, Ed. I promise I won't do anything too mean to you when you pass out."

"Fuck off, Emmett."

"Boys," Carlisle chuckled, always the father figure, even in the midst of a strip club.

The waitress quickly came back to our table with her tray full of shots for me and a round of drinks for everyone else. Riley must have been tipping her quite well. I took my time doing the shots, but I couldn't avoid the effects. When I put the fourth shot glass on the table, I was undeniably drunk. Emmett, Jasper and my father were giving me marital advice, and I wanted to cut off my ears.

After a long night of watching my brother and friends do things I'd rather forget, I felt like I wanted to die.

I had somehow made it to my bed, but I had the worst headache I'd ever experienced and my mouth tasted like someone had shoved dirty socks in it.

"Fuck," I muttered, flipping the pillow over so I could feel the cool side on my cheek.

"It's alive!" Bella's voice was quiet and teasing. I groaned something in response and felt her hand on face. "What can I get you?"

"A lobotomy."

She snorted. "I've got Gatorade or V-8, what sounds good?"

My stomach rolled at the thought of either, and I heard myself gag.

"Maybe not yet," Bella chuckled. She slid her fingers through my hair, and I sighed in contentment. She climbed on the bed and stretched out next to me. "How were the strippers?"

"Dancers, and I think they had cooties."

She giggled, and I opened one eye to see her covering her mouth, trying to keep quiet. "I'm sure they were pretty."

I snorted a laugh and was punished with a shooting pain in my skull, but I wasn't dumb enough not to realize I needed to say something more.

"It didn't matter what they looked like, they weren't you."

"You're so corny."

"I mean it." I opened both eyes despite the pain and reached out to stroke her cheek. "I can't tell you some of them weren't hot, because they were, but all I could think was that I wanted to come home to you. That your little blue bikini was so much sexier than the body glitter and scraps of fabric they had on."

"Edward," she sighed and blinked a couple of times as if she might cry.

I ran a hand through my hair, tugging a little at the top of my head in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure inside my head.

"I can't believe how much I drank last night."

"I can't believe you haven't gotten sick."

"Hey," I laughed, "speaking of what I drank last night, how pissed are you?"

"What?"

"Frequent flyers?"

"Oh! You figured it out!"

"I did. I was going to text you, but that's about the time I lost feeling in my fingers."

"Meh, I was never really mad, but I had to figure out a creative way to get you back for tricking me."

"You totally did. I couldn't figure out why Ry kept giving me vodka shots when he knows that's not my liquor. I mean, I realize the goal last night was to get me shit faced, but it seemed like an odd choice."

"I told Riley what you did, how you tricked me into thinking you would buy our tickets with miles, and after he got done laughing at me, he had no problem helping me get you back."

"I'm sure he didn't."

"Were he and Emmett obnoxious last night?"

"No," I laughed, feeling well enough to sit up and drink some of the Gatorade Bella had put on the night stand. "It was Emmett and Garrett. Those two together are bad news."

We talked for a while longer, laughing and joking, savoring a morning when neither of us needed to rush out the door.

"Can we just get married already?" She sighed and flopped back onto the bed. "I'm over all of the planning and the pre-wedding events."

I had to laugh, women really did get shafted with all of the work that went into weddings. It was supposed to be fun, but I saw how it stressed her out.

"We're almost done, baby. Five weeks."

"Five weeks," she repeated, rolling onto her side and tucking her hands under her head. "Wake me when it's time to fly to New York."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-  
><em>

Our school years finished in a rush. The final weeks of my residency were a blur as I prepared for the wedding and visited human resources at Harborview, where I would start after our honeymoon. Bella got her exams ready and started packing long before we were heading for New York, but there we were the evening before our flight, Bella repacking, and me just starting.

"How much walking will we do on this mystery-moon?"

She had been fishing for hints for about our honeymoon location since I told her I was planning it on my own. All I would tell her was that it was tropical.

"Depends on how often I let you out of bed."

She put her arms around my neck, then slid her fingers into the hair at the back of my neck where she tugged gently, just the way I liked. "What if I don't want to get out of bed?"

I groaned before I whispered in her ear, "Then we won't be walking anywhere."

I ran my nose along her neck to tease her, and she whimpered.

"That totally backfired on me, didn't it?"

"I'm not thinking about the trip anymore, are you?"

"No," she laughed, slipping her hands to my waist and then under my shirt. "Now I'm thinking about getting you naked."

I pulled my shirt over my head and reached for the button on her shorts. "You don't have to ask me twice."

Before I got her zipper down, the door bell rang, and there was a loud knocking at the front door. Bella and I both groaned, knowing it was Garrett and Angela arriving with take-out for dinner.

"Hold on!" I yelled, pulling on my shirt as Bella went to let them in.

"Hands off the bride!" Garrett yelled through the door.

"Shut up!" Angela shrieked at him and her laughter rang out as Bella let them in.

I came down the hall as Garrett put bags of food on the dining table. "What's the word, Big Ed?"

"The bird is the word, G, and how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Big Ed?"

We shook hands, and he pulled me into a half hug to slap my back.

"I've seen you in the shower man. You're Big Ed, I'm Giant G, it's all good. Unless you want me to call you Tiny or something, you know, how they call the really fat dude Tiny as a joke?"

"Why are we friends?"

"Cuz we bonded over our enormous penises and brains the day we met."

"Gare, stop talking about your penis. I'm hungry!" Angela called from the kitchen doorway.

There was a beat of silence while Garrett waggled his eyebrows at me before we all burst out laughing.

"That's not what I meant!" Her entire face was red with blush.

Bella nudged her with her hip. "Really, Ang, I don't need to hear about your plans for dessert, we haven't even had dinner."

"Oh my God!" She tried to sound angry but ended up laughing as she spun around and headed down the hallway. "I'm going to the bathroom, and when I return we'll pretend like this never happened."

We spent the next few hours eating and talking about our plans for New York. Bella and I were flying out the following day, and they were meeting us in a few days later. Alice had spreadsheets and Google calendars set up for everyone, so they knew exactly where they had to be.

As we sat there discussing wedding plans, it suddenly struck me. I'd known Bella for just over a year, and everything in my life had changed - for the better. She was the most important thing that had ever happened to me. It was a little overwhelming but in an entirely good way. Without her, I had no idea what my future would have held, and I honestly didn't want to think about it.

"Hey," Garrett interrupted me as the girls took our plates and the leftovers to the kitchen. "You okay?"

"Yeah." I nodded and felt a smile take over my face. "I'm great, man. This...It's exactly where I'm supposed to be. I don't know how to thank you. It's all pretty fucked up how we ended up here, but we did. So, yeah, thanks, Gare. For everything."

"You still worried about what people will think if they find out how you really met?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "If I could just say we met through Craigslist and leave it at that it would be funny, but that's not how it would work. People would ask who placed the ad and what did it say? And then I'd be lying again or telling the whole crazy story.

"I think Bella would rather wait until after we're married for it to come out. It's like, she thinks someone is going to stand up when they say, "Speak now," and say we shouldn't get married because we lied about how we met."

"That's kind of dumb, but then again she thinks strippers are germ infested cesspools."

"That she does," I laughed. "But you know what? I kind of love it about her. She's just as crazy as the rest of my family."

"Stop, you whore! Save the whipped cream for later!" Angela's laughing voice came from the other room, teasing Bella, purposely loud enough for us to hear.

"That's my girl." Garrett grinned, shaking his head. "She's thanks enough, man."

"She's perfect for you, isn't she?"

He sipped his beer and nodded. "We did good, Big Ed. We did good."

Despite wanting to smack him on the head for calling me Ed again, I had to agree. No matter how you looked at it, we were two lucky bastards.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:**  
>Oh my God! We're so close to the wedding I can taste it! We're getting close - another chapter or two and maybe an epilogue. It makes me kind of sad to even think about it.<p>

Thanks so much for reading and sharing the ride. Every one of you, whether you've reviewed or not, has made this an amazing experience. So, thanks. I really can't say it enough.

**What I've Been Reading:**

Two unrelated, totally different fics, cuz that's how I roll. LOL

**Yosemite Decimal by MagTwi78. **I kept seeing this rec'd on FB and somehow I waited 'til - _the_ pivotal chapter - to read and I was like - holy Hell why did I wait?! This B is totally the rock that DamagedWard needs. *swoon* OOOH and she just posted the final chapter! WOOT  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Bella has nailed her dream job as Seattle Times' newest Outdoors writer. She's found new friends and is settling into life in her new city. Things are coming together for her, but an arrogant stranger sends her reeling at every turn. Will her new life be as comfortable as she'd hoped, or is she set for a rocky ride? AH B&E M

**In the Shadow of Your Heart by BellaFlan **- Okay, this fic is a trip to crazytown - and I mean that in such a good way. It is trippy and made me say WTF? and HOLY SHIT! over and over as I read...but then it made me cry for this E and B. (Notice it is classified romance/horror - that is accurate). It's not a regular updater, but it's complete except for the epi, and I am going to drop everything when it posts.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Edward didn't mean to kidnap Bella and hold her hostage, but she holds a secret that could destroy his family. Lucifer was an angel too, and love isn't always wholly benevolent. Vamp AU, B/E, **Romance/Horror**


	28. I Got You, Babe

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 28: I Got You, Babe**

**A/N: **Thanks so much for reading! Glad you're all still here. :)

Thanks to **SydneyGen,** **Greenabsinthia, and Seastarr08 **for doing their thing and making me look good without laughing too much at my misuse of commas

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

_BPOV  
><em>

My third time flying first class was reminiscent of the first. Edward and I waited for our flight in the first class lounge, where I rolled my eyes as he inquired about getting me my own I.D. card, and within seconds of boarding the plane, a flight attendant began to flirt with him. Oh, hell no. We were not doing this again.

"Excuse me, hi," I had pushed the button requesting assistance as soon as the fasten seat belt light was turned off. My voice was sweeter than sugar, and I made sure she saw the movement of my left hand as I put it on Edward's arm, flashing his Grammy's ring. "My fiancée and I are on our way to get married, and I think we need a cocktail."

Her face soured just slightly, her lips instinctively puckered before she schooled her features and put on a plastic smile.

"Of course. What can I get you?" Her eyes were on Edward, and I realized my mistake.

I should have been more decisive - ordered champagne and brushed my hand down his chest instead of simply placing it on his arm. As I opened my mouth to kill her with more kindness, Edward took my hand and twined our fingers together.

"We'll have mimosas." He glanced at me and wrinkled his nose. "Their champagne isn't the best. We'll pick up something better before we head to the beach house."

I nodded and glanced up at the woman who was still looking at my fiancée while he continued to gaze at me. And suddenly, I felt sorry for her. She was clueless and classless. I wondered how often she threw herself at passengers, and if it ever actually worked for her.

Edward's fingers tightened on my hand, and I realized I was staring.

"Sorry." I shrugged and laughed.

He shook his head, no doubt imagining my bizarre thoughts. The stripper germ conversation had pretty much sealed the deal with him thinking the inner workings of my brain were a little unusual. Not bad, he'd clarified, but unusual. He raised an eyebrow as the stewardess finally walked away with a huff. I knew he wanted me to tell him what I'd been thinking.

"I was just wondering if this gold digging thing she's got going on ever worked."

"Oh my God," he chuckled as he glanced around to make sure no one had heard me. I didn't really care anyway. If she wasn't a gold digger, then she needed to realize it was how she presented herself. "I'm sure it does. I think airlines are like hospitals. She probably picks up passengers or fucks the pilots."

"Edward!"

"What?"

I smacked his chest and we ended up laughing so hard, we barely managed to thank the woman when she handed us our mimosas.

When we settled down, Edward leaned forward to kiss my forehead. "You okay? You didn't even wait for the inappropriate touching this time."

"I was trying to be proactive, and thanks for playing along."

His thumb made those little circles on the back of my hand that gave me butterflies in my stomach. "You know what's funny, Swan?"

"No, Cullen, I don't. Also, you won't be able to call me that after we get married."

I sipped my drink and gave him a smug look. I would miss being called Swan, but I was fully on board with becoming Isabella Cullen. I was actually genuinely looking forward to it. I'd been undecided about changing my name until Edward told me how he wanted to stay in Seattle for a couple of years, just the two of us. That was when I realized that he was exactly right. For the immediate future, it would be just the two of us, and it thrilled me. It would be me and Edward Cullen against the world, and we were going to kick some ass. Cullen style.

"Whatever." He laughed, squeezing my hand. "I'll always be able to call you that. And what's funny, is that you got so bent out of shape about the flight attendant looking at me, but you didn't even notice any of the suits in the lounge drooling over you."

"Psh." I rolled my eyes. That was crazy talk.

"Seriously. Every time you flipped your hair over your shoulder or laughed, heads turned. And when you dropped your book and bent over to pick it up? I thought I might have to bust out some ninja moves and kick some asses."

"Baby, you don't have ninja moves." I giggled. I probably should have had more to eat before drinking any champagne.

"Yeah, but Charlie made you take self-defense, I knew you'd have my back."

"True facts. Maybe we should get you into a taekwondo class or something when we get back from our honeymoon, then we could be a badass team, you know, fight back to back like warriors?"

He laughed and shook his head. "I have a feeling you mean like superheroes. What, exactly, is your obsession with the Super Friends?"

"You've met my dad, right?" I snorted. "He didn't know what to do with a girl. So we watched a lot of television. I mean I've seen more Dragnet episodes than any human should have to endure, but he also shared his collection of DC Comics with me, and whenever he was home on weekend mornings, we watched Super Friends videos together." I shrugged. "He was, by far, not the greatest dad, but I could kick major ass in trivia about cop shows and superheroes."

"Those are good skills to have." The look on his face was entirely serious, like it was a given. It was dorky and adorable.

I was so in love with him it wasn't funny, and the words just sort of spilled out. "I love you."

His face lit up, and he grinned back at me. "Good thing I love you too then. And you know what?"

I grinned back at him, I couldn't resist, and I had to laugh, just imagining what he was thinking. "No, what?"

"I think we should get married."

"How about this weekend?" I tried to look serious as I played along with his game.

"I'll text Alice as soon as we land, I bet she can set it up. Now, why don't you finish my mimosa and take a nap."

"Best fiancée ever!" I giggled. Yeah, I totally should have had a bigger breakfast.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Riley picked us up at the airport, and we headed into the city for a quick stop to try on my dress. I ran in by myself while Edward made a coffee run and Riley circled the block. After having the dress declared a perfect fit, it was loaded into a large garment bag, and I texted the boys to come get me. Edward grabbed the bag from me, and his mouth dropped open at the weight.

"Holy shit! What's in here, your whole wardrobe?"

"Yes," I rolled my eyes, "and I plan to wear it all on Saturday."

He laughed and kissed my forehead before lifting it into the back of Riley's Range Rover and gently laying it over our luggage.

Riley had the summer off from his graduate classes and was ready to spend some time in the Hamptons. He and Edward sat in the front seats and caught up as we drove. I heard bits and pieces of the conversation as words occasionally drifted through the seats to me but, for the most part, I had no idea what they were talking about and found my mind drifting to the next few days.

I knew Alice had everything organized, but there were still last minute things to do. I wanted to help with the favors, so I'd had her schedule in some time for us to bag up chocolate sea shells and tie them with pretty raffia bows. Edward thought the idea of favors was ridiculous, but agreed that we should give something that would be used or eaten and not something that would collect dust.

There were quite a few things we needed to deliver to the resort for the reception, but unlike any wedding in Forks I'd heard about, we didn't have to set anything up ourselves. Between Alice and the club, they had "people" to take care of everything. It would probably take years for me to fully adjust to all of the things that were different in Edward's monied world. I couldn't see anyone in his family wiping down tables with bleach water at the VFW hall before building a balloon arch and putting bowls out for Jordan almonds or butter mints. I had to laugh, imagining the stroke Alice would have from dealing with the locals had if we'd gotten married in Forks.

At some point, the ride put me to sleep. I woke up when the engine cut off and realized we were at the beach. Riley parked, and both he and Edward turned to look at me from the front seat.

"Hey, sleepyhead." Edward grinned at me, and Riley made some kind of wiping moment making me think I'd drooled. I quickly wiped my face and he threw his head back laughing. Bastard.

I stuck my tongue out at him and they both laughed. Running my hand through my hair, I recognizing exactly where we were.

"What are we doing here?" I asked, confused.

"Dropping Riley off. He's going to let us use the Rover for a few days."

"Oh, wow. Thanks, Ry."

"Don't thank me," he winked, "this is Char's."

We all climbed out of the car, and I gave Riley another hug before Edward and I got back in the car. He backed out of the driveway and took my hand as we headed down the beach road. His thumb made little circles on the back of my hand. He should have trademarked that move. That one and his panty dropping smile that always, well, made my panties drop. I snorted to myself and he shook his head at my antics.

"Okay," I sat up in my seat, looking over my shoulder at a house that looked very familiar. "I haven't spent a lot of time here, but didn't we just pass your parent's place?"

"Yup."

"Um, okay. Aren't they expecting us? Where are we going?"

"I texted Alice and told her our flight was late."

"Ah, I'm sure she's checked her flight tracker app and knows you're full of shit."

"Huh." He glanced over at me with surprise. "I didn't think of that." He turned back to the road and continued driving.

"You still didn't tell me where we're going."

"The cottage."

"Ugh, you're not going to tell me?"

He chuckled and made a quick turn down a side street, then pulled into a driveway not a half a mile from his parents. Hopping out of the car, he made his way over to my side and opened my door.

"My lady."

I cocked an eyebrow, but let him take my hand before following him to the house. After entering a quick code, the door opened and he led me into an adorable little house.

"It's three bedrooms and a pullout couch. We've rented it before when we ran out of room at the house. I figured it would be nice for Ang and Garrett and the Three Stooges," he explained, referring to a trio of our friends from the hospital, Collin, Brady and Bree. They had shared an apartment for several years and, although none of them were dating, they bickered like old married couples. They had all just finished their residencies with Garrett and Edward and were scattering to Tacoma, Portland and Eureka. They had turned our wedding weekend into their last hurrah, and Garrett and Ang would be more than willing to take part in the madness.

"That's a good plan. Wouldn't want them to keep anyone awake."

My father and his new girlfriend were flying in the day before the wedding and staying at Carlisle and Esme's, but after my mother's lackluster response when I'd emailed to tell her I was engaged, we hadn't even invited her. A couple of Edward's friends from college were staying at the house as well, but Jessica and our friend Leah from work had insisted on getting a hotel room at the resort, saying even if they weren't in the wedding it would increase their chances of hooking up. Angela teased them, saying they needed all the help they could get, but I was just glad they were coming. No matter where we'd chosen to get married, our guest list would have been heavy on the Cullen side, but in New York, my list was practically non-existent. I was alright with it, all that mattered to me was at the end of the day I would be Mrs. Edward Cullen.

"So," Edward drawled, leaning against the wall next to the stairway with that damn smile on his face that made me melt. "Want to check out one of the bedrooms?"

"You are so naughty!" I laughed, slipping my arms around him.

"Well, yeah, but I'm also practical. My brother surely has plans to cockblock us at every turn. Add that to the fact that the house will be overflowing with people, and we're going to be adhering to Alice's strict schedule." His fingers teased along the neckline of my v-neck shirt. "This may be our last chance before the wedding."

"How did I get so lucky to find such a smart fiancé?"

"Dumb luck. Now stop talking and let me seduce you."

I opened my mouth to get in the last word, but his lips covered mine and anything I might have said was forgotten. His hands slid along my sides, over my ass and down to my legs, which he lifted so I could wrap them around his waist. We bumped our way up the stairs, frantically kissing as I tried to lift Edward's shirt and get my hands on his back. He stopped at the top of the stairs and pressed me into the wall, grinding his hips against me and claiming my mouth with his.

"Bedroom?" I managed, slowing lowering my legs and pulling his shirt over his head.

He put his fingers through my belt loops and pulled me towards a door behind him before reaching for the zipper on my shorts. We couldn't undress each other fast enough, kicking shoes off and tossing clothes behind us we moved towards the bed.

I climbed on the mattress and threw the decorative pillows on the floor as he took off his pants. He lay beside me, his eyes slowly moving over my body, and I felt myself blushing. He'd seen me hundred of times, but he looked at me with such intensity, it always made me nervous that he might see something he didn't like.

His gaze dropped to my chest, then flitted back to my face. I watched his eyes get darker and he licked his lips before leaning down to my breasts. He licked and sucked, nipped and kneaded until I was desperate for him. He slid down my body, peppering kisses and swirling his tongue around my belly button, making us both laugh. Then it was serious again as he settled between my legs, kissing me in an altogether different, but oh-so satisfying way.

When he added his fingers to the mix, I was done for, writhing and pulling his hair. He knew my body so well. He knew exactly where to touch me and how to drive me wild. In no time, I was crying out and arching against him as my orgasm exploded, sending waves of bliss throughout my body. Then he was sliding into me, rolling his hips with each thrust to make sure he hit my clit every time.

"Feels so good," Edward whispered, finding my lips and kissing me, hard. His hips never stopped and our bodies moved together, perfectly. "Can you come again? I'm so close. Fuck."

I nodded, too close to find my voice for more than a sharp cry.

"Oh yeah. I feel that."

I had no idea what he felt, but I was about to burst into flames or shatter into a million pieces. I felt like I was on the verge of something huge. He shifted, pushing my legs closer to my chest and drove his hips into me. After only a couple of deep, powerful thrusts, he stopped, pressing us together as he jerked inside of me. That was all it took. My back arched and I cried out, everything in me drawing tight before it released, leaving me boneless and sated.

Afterwards, I rested with my head on his shoulder, my fingers tracing patterns on his chest. He hugged me close before kissing the top of my head, stroking my back with his hand.

I'm not sure how long we snuggled like that, but his heart had slowed under my hand before I finally spoke,"We need to get up. It's only a matter of time before they send out a search party."

His voice rumbled against my ear, "We'll get up when they find us."

He circled my nipple with the tip of his finger, grinning evilly as he watched it harden. I bit my lip and felt my heart rate start to pick up.

"I guess that's a plan I can get behind." I took him in my hand, making long lazy strokes, and he began to get hard again.

"Fuck." He growled, his hand dropping down to squeeze my hip. "Rollover, let me get behind you."

I moaned and did as he asked. I got wet just thinking about the way he filled me like that. He sat up on his knees and slid his hands down my back, and Beethoven's 5th started playing from Edward's phone on the floor beside us. He continued to touch me, his hands moving to my front, cupping my breasts. I gasped as he gave my nipples sharp pinches. He chuckled and caressed them gently with his fingers in apology and Gangnam Style blared from my phone.

"Ignore it."

I whimpered at his commanding tone. Bossy Edward was an entirely different level of fuckhot. He reached around and ran his fingers along my wet folds before circling my clit. I arched into his hand and his fingers started pumping into me. The phone call was all but forgotten.

His fingers disappeared and he replaced them with his cock, thrusting into me hard and fast. My eyes rolled back and I groaned, loving the way he stretched me. He pulled back, almost all the way out, then pushed forward again, beginning a driving pace. His hands found my hips, pulling me even tighter against him as his hips rocked into me, over and over.

Everything in my body was tightening, building something that was just out of reach until he pressed a palm between my shoulders and I lowered my head. He slid into me at a slightly different angle, and it was exactly what I needed, hitting me just right. I went over the edge, shaking and crying out Edward's name as my body spasmed and clenched around him.

"Fuck yes," he whispered, slowing down and gathering my hair before placing a kiss on the back of my neck. "So good."

His body stretched out over me and his hands slid forward, closing over my wrists. He made several tortuously long and slow strokes before stilling. His fingers dug into me, and he groaned in my ear, his hips pressed tightly against my ass as he came.

We lay in a heap catching our breath and I wanted to soak it all up. Every second we spent joined, every ragged breath he puffed against my ear. It was probably the last chance we would get to be just Edward and Bella, aside from sleeping, until we faced each other at the altar. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on the feel of Edward's chest against my back.

It had only been a few minutes, but I was totally relaxed as Edward stretched beside me and ran his fingers through my hair. His phone pinged, indicating he had an incoming text, and he groaned. We both knew that we needed to get up and go to his parent's house, but it would have been nice to do it on our own terms, uninterrupted.

He muttered something I couldn't hear as he rolled over and grabbed his phone. I sighed and flopped onto my back as he swiped across the screen and read the message.

He snorted as he read, then laughed. "We're busted, not that I really care." He rolled back over to face me and handed me his phone.

"What?" I laughed before I read the screen. Apparently we'd been unaware of several texts as they came through.

**Alice: **

**Answer your phone. Where R U?**

**Alice: **

**Don't make me come find you. **

**Alice:  
>I know where U R. Change the sheets. Perv. <strong>

As I finished reading, Edward climbed over me, caging me between his arms and legs. "You ready for this?"

I shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be."

He grinned and leaned down, making a smacking sound as he kissed me on the forehead. He jumped up and started searching for his clothes, throwing my things at me when he found them.

"Alright, then," he laughed. "Let's let the cockblocking begin!"

I groaned and fastened my bra. It was time to face my soon-to-be in-laws, in all of their kooky, over-sharing, cockblocking glory.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:**

*Waves from behind my giant glass of lemonade* Um, hey, you guys! LOL Yeah, so we didn't accomplish as much time in this chapter as I meant to...stupid horny Edward getting in the way of my plans! I hope you all don't mind too much. :) Thanks again for reading - see you in two weeks!

Oh - and I just want to say - I don't mean any offense to any flight attendants. I've met some great ones. It just works in the story to have skeevy attendants eyeing Edward. If you didn't see the great article this week about the JetBlue flight attendants saving a wedding, Google it. Awesome folks.

I put a picture of the cottage on my profile page. Someone asked if I have pictures of B's dress or if it's in my head. I do have pics, but just like Edward, you won't see it til the wedding! :)

**Recs:**

**Loose Screws** by **AgoodWITCH **(WIP 106ch so far)  
><strong>Summary:<strong> When your college degree & 2.25 will get you on a ride on a subway, if you weren't stuck in the Podunk town of Forks, Bella struggles to figure out her adult life. A job that was a last resort & a feeling she can't get rid of lead her down a path she never imagined. Forks Hardware is the beginning of that journey, & it's easy to see that to work there requires a few loose screws.

**Land in My Arms** by **luckyirishtart **(Complete) Pilotward and Soldierward mixed together. There's just something about this fic for me. I've read it several times already, and I'll probably read it again now after rec'ing it.  
><strong>Summary: <strong>A pilot, a flight attendant, a bond with unconventional origins. When the thing you're not supposed to feel is inevitable, what delays would you fight against to make your connection? AH, E/B


	29. Supernatural Superserious

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 29: ****Supernatural, Superserious**

**A/N: ** So sorry for the delay! But really, in the last two weeks I've been distracted by my kids on Spring Break, Easter, Qhuay, new Dr. Who and a marathon of Raylan Givens. How was I supposed to write with all of that going on?! Anyway - here you go! Thanks so much for reading!

Thanks to **SydneyGen,** **Greenabsinthia, and Seastarr08 **for doing their thing for me from all across the globe.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

_EPOV_

Our first couple of days back in New York were a chaotic blur. Alice had us scheduled down to the minute. Bella and I had been handling it well, completing everything on the task list and generally spending every waking moment apart from each other. I'd been around for both Emmett and Alice's weddings and I knew what to expect. I had warned Bella, but it was still overwhelming, and probably even more so because it was our wedding.

Bella had hit a wall our second day, breaking down in tears over a broken fingernail because she knew Alice would throw a fit about how it would look in pictures. Later, she'd completely lost her shit when Emmett told her he spilled something on Rose's bridesmaid dress. She was a sobbing mess until Rose returned from putting Peter down for a nap and assured her that Emmett was lying and being an asshole. It didn't take long for Bella to laugh about it, but it certainly took it's toll.

I couldn't say that I was at my best either. I'd almost come unglued when my mom told me that Emmett had made Bella cry. I hadn't heard about it until much later, when we were cleaning up the kitchen and getting ready to go to bed.

I was fuming, and my mother had kept me busy by forcing me to help her hand wash the dishes, when they could have easily gone in the dishwasher.

"Edward, look at me." She put her hands on my cheeks, forcing me to focus on her. "Take a couple of deep breaths and listen to me. Your brother is just being his ridiculous self. He thought it would be funny, but he doesn't seem to remember that his jokes almost got himself castrated before his own wedding."

I chuckled a little. Emmett never took anything seriously. The days leading to their wedding had been a nightmare, with him acting like a fool and Rose threatening his balls at every turn.

Esme grabbed the end of my nose and tipped my head towards her since my attention had drifted. "Emmett and Bella are friends. They joke around. He felt awful when he upset her, probably worse than when he upsets Rose because he knew you would be angry."

I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Of course I'm fucking angry."

"Stop." She spoke quietly, covering my hand with her own and pulling it away from my face. "You're allowed to tell him he was a jerk, but then you need to drop it. I don't want you fighting this weekend. I know how you two are."

"Mom-"

"Don't 'Mom' me. You may be getting married in two days, but I'll always be your mother."

I sighed and nodded. "Fine. But I am going to tell him he was a dick."

"I know you are baby, but do it with words, not your fist. Now, go on up to bed. Get a good night's sleep and talk to your brother tomorrow."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

The morning before the wedding, I woke up before Bella and made my way to the beach for a run. While I was tempted to wake her and take a few minutes for ourselves, I really needed to get away from everyone and pound out a couple of miles on the sand. By the time I got back, my head was clear, and I felt a thousand times better. I still wanted to kick my brother's ass, but no more than any other day, so it was a definite improvement from the night before.

By the time I got inside, the kitchen was full of activity. Mom and Bella were dishing up pancakes and eggs while Emmett, Alice, Jasper and my father sat around the dining table. Rose had taken the twins to yoga and baby Peter was eating cheerios in his booster seat. My dad was reading a medical journal while the others fought over the newspaper. Emmett snagged the sports page from Jasper with a victorious grin, then shoved a piece of toast in his mouth.

I slipped behind him as I made my way around the table and smacked the back of his head. I grabbed the paper as he flailed around, shocked and choking on bread crumbs.

"What the hell, bro? What was that for?"

"You know what it was for." I sat next to him and sipped my coffee, and just to be a dick I didn't even open the paper.

"Um, I wouldn't have asked if I did."

I looked around and saw several pairs of eyes watching us, including my mother, who'd turned her back on the stove.

"You upset my fiancée yesterday, ya douche."

He groaned and threw his head back. "Are you kidding me? Beezinator, you need this fool to fight your battles? I thought you were tougher than that."

My mother pointed a spatula at him. "You better stop right there, young man. You made the bride cry yesterday, and that is unacceptable. Don't you dare do it again."

"Aw, come on. You know I was teasing, don't you, Bella? I was just making a joke."

What he had done wasn't actually a big deal, but emotions were running high, and I just needed to hear him apologize.

I set my mug down on the table. "Just tell her you're sorry, and we're all good."

He rolled his eyes at me before looking back over to Bella who was watching him cautiously. She stood in the middle of the kitchen with a towel over her shoulder, her lower lip worried between her teeth.

"Now, Miss Bella, beggin' your pardon," he said with the fakest southern accent I'd ever heard.

There were groans all around the table as Emmett stood and made his way into the kitchen and got on his knees in front of Bella. He put his hand over his heart and gave her a pleading look.

"Please forgive me for trying to be funny yesterday. It is clearly a massive oversight on my part, and it will never happen again." Emmett stood and chuckled, playing to the crowd as he walked back to the table.

Bella raised an eyebrow, and I loved her even more. I knew what she was going to say before she opened her mouth.

"You didn't say you were sorry."

He stopped, mid-step, closing his eyes and clutching his heart as he turned back to Bella. "You wound me, Bee's Knees. The apology was implied, but I'll spell it out. I am sorry. From the top of my nose to the tip of my toes, I am sorry."

Bella flipped her hair over her shoulder and huffed out a breath. "Just don't let it happen again."

She tried to look haughty and serious, and she pulled it off—until Emmett wrapped his arms around her and placed a big smacking kiss on her forehead. At that point, she laughed loudly and hit him over and over with the towel.

Esme and Bella put more platters of food on the table, and we all settled down for breakfast, eating and talking quietly. When we were mostly finished, Bella made her way around the table refilling coffee mugs until she got to me. She put her hand on my shoulder and topped off my coffee before setting the carafe on a trivet and leaning down to give me a kiss.

"Morning, baby."

My arms had automatically gone around her neck, holding her close. I returned her kiss, taking it a little further just to torment my brother. I regretted it as soon as I did it though because just kissing her made me want so much more.

Sighing as I pulled away, I grinned up at her. "Mmm. Good morning to you, too."

Alice's chin rested in her hand, and she had a dreamy smile on her face. "You two are so sweet."

"Sweet?" Emmett guffawed. "They're a live action porno!"

Everyone laughed, and I knew without looking that Bella was blushing like crazy. Sure enough, I saw her red cheeks as she climbed into my lap and hid her face in my shoulder.

"No, seriously, Ed never dated much after high school. I started to wonder if he'd changed teams, but Bella has reconfirmed his stud status."

Jasper laughed, and my sister shook her head and tried to reassure me, "Speak for yourself! We never thought that."

"Stop it," my mom tried to sound stern, but she was chuckling too. My family was so inappropriate.

My father had been quiet for most of the meal, but it was pretty typical of him to wait until we got out of control and then rein everyone back in. I figured he was about at his breaking point, and when Emmett started to sing porn music and make up a stupid storyline I knew I was right.

"Bow chicka wow wow! Edward takes Bella up to his bedroom..."

Carlisle closed his magazine and slapped it on the table. He looked around at us and sighed.

"I believe we have a wedding to finish getting ready for. While this morning's conversations have been...enlightening, you're all on my last damn nerve." He stood and took a deep breath, putting his hands on the back of his chair. "So clean up the kitchen, go upstairs and take your showers, have a quicky or whatever you need to do, and let's get on with the business at hand."

We all watched him with slack jaws as he carried his dishes into the kitchen, gave my mother a kiss and whispered in her ear before going upstairs.

"Um, I'm just going to-" My mom laughed and glanced at the staircase and then back at us as she untied her apron. "Yeah, you kids clean up down here like your father asked."

She headed up the stairs without a backward glance and we all cracked up laughing. My entire family was a bunch of crazy perverts. Bella gave me a squeeze, and I laughed even harder. I loved how well she fit in with the Cullen insanity.

It struck me that she was right about being near my family eventually. I wanted our kids to grow up with this. To have crazy moments with a big family. To have siblings and cousins who would be their best friends through thick and thin. In a couple of years, after Bella and I had time to be ourselves and do what we wanted, not what Alice planned or what my father thought was the best course of action, we'd come back and find our place in the chaos.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

The house filled up throughout the course of the day. Jasper had picked up Charlie and his girlfriend while the rest of us ran around doing last minute wedding things. Garrett and Angela showed up late in the afternoon with Colin, Brady and Bree. I showed them around and we sat on the beach and had a couple of beers before everyone had to get ready for the rehearsal. Bella and I spent all of about ten minutes alone together from the time we finished breakfast until I made it upstairs to change into my suit.

The rehearsal went off without too many issues. Alice had clearly spent a lot of time with the events planner from the resort as they both referred to notes on things and repeatedly reminded each other of past discussions and plans. I knew Bella had been given much more input in the planning than I had, but it was still kind of bizarre to see the way that so many little decisions all came together. I couldn't wait to see it with all of the decorations in place, and I hoped it was exactly what Bella wanted.

Eventually, we all made our way from the beach back up to the resort for cocktails and dinner. I was thrilled because I thought I would finally get a chance to spend a few minutes talking with Bella, but I would soon find out that wasn't the case.

Oh, sure, we were seated next to each other, but as soon as everyone sat down, Carlisle and Charlie stood and waited for the group to quiet down.

I took Bella's hand in mine, giving her a quick smile, then my father cleared his throat and began.

"Friends, family, we'd like to welcome everyone to the beach. We're so glad you could join us to celebrate with Edward and Bella." He looked at us for a second and sighed before shaking his head and grinning. "I had a hard time understanding when Edward chose Seattle for his residency. I couldn't understand what he would find there that he couldn't get here in New York, but the first time I saw him with Bella I knew. Everything happens for a reason, and Edward, Bella, I'm so glad that you've found yours." He took my mother's hand in one of his and raised his champagne glass with the other. "Congratulations. We love you both."

There was a chorus of 'Cheers!' and 'Hear, hear!,' as well as the clinking of spoons on water glasses. Bella leaned over and gave me a kiss, probably longer and deeper than the group was expecting, but I wasn't stopping her.

"Enough already!" Charlie's voice was deep, as was the rumble of his laughter. "Plenty of time for that after tomorrow, and most importantly where I don't have to see it."

Bella and I pulled apart grinning and her face was already getting pink from her father's teasing.

"I want to thank the Cullens for having us all here for the wedding. We, ah, don't have resorts like this in Forks, do we Bells?"

He took a drink of his water, and I could see the slight tremor in his hand. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to give my daughter away. Charlie and I had gotten to know each other, but she'd certainly been his much longer than she'd ever been mine. They'd had a rough go of it, the two of them without her mother, but they loved each other fiercely.

"Anyway, Bella was one of those kids who had to grow up fast. It was just the two of us for a long time, and I was a workaholic. I didn't realize until she was older that she never really got to be a kid-"

"Dad," she started to interrupt him.

He shook his head and cut her off, "Hey, this is my speech. I practiced it, kiddo."

"He did," his girlfriend Sue nodded at Bella, smiling.

"Anyway, Bella has always been a strong, independent girl, and I'm glad that she's found such a great guy in Edward who can appreciate that, but who finally takes care of her the way she deserves too."

His eyes were full of tears, and so were mine. Hell, I'm not sure there was a dry eye in the room. He licked his lips and let out a breath before raising his glass.

"To Edward and Bella, and forever together."

There was applause that time as everyone clinked glasses and toasted us, but I'm not sure Bella noticed. As soon as Charlie finished speaking she was out of her chair and around the table hugging him. I considered joining her and hugging her father as well or at least shaking his hand, but I didn't want to embarrass him. Charlie was a man's man, and I knew that a quick word of thanks later would more than suffice.

Bella eventually made her way back to her seat and dinner was served. By the time we got to dessert I was exhausted and ready to call it a night. As the minutes ticked by I felt my tension rising, then Bella leaned over and kissed me just below my ear. She put her hand on my leg, gently making circles with her thumb on the top of my thigh.

"Relax," she whispered, "by this time tomorrow we'll be married."

I look at her for a second, surprised, stunned, excited, I'm not sure what I was, but then I smiled. Hugely. And I took her face in my hands, giving her a hard and fast kiss on the lips.

"I love you."

She giggled and rolled her eyes, then turned back to continue talking with Bree and Angela about some outdoor concert they wanted to go to in Seattle when we returned from our honeymoon.

When the meal was finally over, I thought we would be able to leave, but Garrett found me and led me to the bar. We grabbed drinks and made our way out onto the deck, sipping our drinks and watching the waves.

"Bella told me to occupy you for a half an hour."

I smiled. "Bella or Alice?"

"Bella. Alice said you could help her with something, and I swear to God your fiancée growled at her."

"There's been a lot of helping going on the last couple of days. I think Bella and I are both over it."

We were quiet for a few minutes just listening to the water crashing on the shore before pulling back out into the ocean. It was relaxing and reminded me why we'd chosen the beach for our wedding. It was perfect for us.

"You ready for this?" Garrett asked me quietly without turning his head.

"Yeah." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I felt fine, good even. No jitters or cold feet. "I thought I'd be pretty nervous, but I'm ready. I kind of wish what we just did on the beach tonight was the real deal because I'm tired of waiting."

He gave a quick laugh and shook his head. "I'm sure you haven't gotten laid since you left New York. You're just horny."

"Ah, but I have. We stopped off and had sex in your bed on the way back from the airport."

It was quiet for a couple of seconds before he turned to me, a shocked look on his face.

"You're serious, aren't you, ya fuckin' perv? I couldn't figure out why the fuck our sheets were in the dryer and the other room was all made up."

I shrugged. "What can I say? My family is one hell of a cockblock. I was planning ahead."

"True that." Garrett laughed. "Your mom freaked Ang the fuck out today talking about childbirth. I'm not sure she'll ever let me near her with giant G again."

I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous name for his cock.

"Anyway, man, I'm happy for you. I know I've said it before, but this could have been a colossal cluster fuck. Instead it's...Just like your dad said, you and Bella were meant to be."

"Thank you. I don't really know how it all worked out this way, but I've decided to stop questioning it."

"For real? No more worrying about people finding out about Craigslist?"

"I didn't say I was high, you dumbass, I said I stopped questioning my luck for finding her."

"Seriously," he sighed and shook his head, "everybody here comes from somewhere that they would just as soon forget and disguise."

"Did you just quote R.E.M.?"

He shrugged. "It's in the playlist Angela made for this weekend. It kind of grew on me."

"You're so whipped."

"I don't mind whips, and even better, neither does Angela, but I'm sure I've told you this."

"Is our thirty minutes up?"

"Not even close."

"Fuck it, I'm going to go help Alice."

"What? No! You can't leave! When did you become such a prude, after you had that quickie in my bed? Bastard!"

I laughed as I made my way towards the building. "Love you, G."

"Yeah. Yeah."

He waved me off, but I knew he'd be in right behind me to help with whatever my sister came up with because that's the kind of guy he was.

When I reached the door and looked back, sure enough, he was crossing the deck behind me.

I thought about my dad's toast, and how he may have been right that I'd gone to Seattle to find Bella, but I knew that finding Garrett had been important too. He'd been there for me through some crazy times and had stepped into Riley's shoes when I didn't even know I needed him.

"Hey," I held the door open and waited for him. "I know I've said it before, but thank you. For everything. For being my first friend in a strange city, for putting up with my bullshit and being my partner in crime. I'm not sure I would have made it in Seattle without you. I'm glad you're my best man, G."

Never one to let things get too serious, he waggled his eyebrows and laughed.

"You haven't heard my speech yet, big E."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N:**

Man, I think that was as hard for me as it was for Charlie. Someone pointed out that I've been posting this fic for over a year, and I can't seem to get my head around it. Has it really been that long? Wow. Thank you all so much for sticking around.

Okay, so no more putting it off - the wedding you've been waiting for is in the next chapter!

Chapter title and lyrics quoted are from R.E.M. - Supernatural Superserious from 2008.

**What I've Been Reading - **

**What If **by** twihart21** (complete-ish***) I really enjoyed this parallel/time shift fic. It made my heart hurt, knowing what he saw and hoping so hard to get it back. GAH  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Edward is a successful defense attorney living in LA. He lives a lonely, predictable life. But one day, he wakes up in an unfamiliar house, in an unfamiliar room with Bella laying next to him. Will he ever want to wake up from this dream? AH EPOV

**** OOOH thanks to TigerBelle & Janshanr for pointing out that it's not REALLY complete. The final chapter was posted, but never the epi.


	30. Sea of Love

**Accidentally in Love**

**Ch 30: Sea of Love **

**A/N: **Thanks so much for reading. Sorry for the delay - blame the weather change and a nasty migraine. Here's the last full length chapter. (It makes me queasy to even type that. LOL) There will be an epilogue.

Thanks to **SydneyGen,** **Greenabsinthia, and Seastarr08 **for doing their thing for me from all across the globe.

Oooh - If you like this kind of thing, I put a couple of links for this wedding stuff on my profile page - and the link to the AiL Beach Wedding board on pinterest.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

_BPOV_

I had no idea who started the tradition for the bride and groom to spend the night before their wedding apart, but whoever they were, I hated them. Sure, I understood the idea that it was so you wouldn't see each other the day of the wedding, but it was developed in a time when the happy couple wasn't used to sleeping next to each other. I was anxious enough as it was going into my wedding day, and tossing and turning all night made for a bitchy bride.

"Here, Bella, I made you a mimosa."

"Esme, don't get her started this early." Rose huffed, shaking her head.

"It's okay-" I started, but Rose cut me off. "Here's some coffee, B."

"I'll take the mimosa." Angela accepted the champagne glass from Esme, and the two of them stood together with their arms around each other like the Wonder Twins. Jessica sitting on the floor touching up her toe nail polish and sipping from her own champagne flute.

I looked around trying to figure out what had just happened. Rose had just steamrolled over me without a thought to what I wanted. We were in the honeymoon suite at the resort waiting for the hair and makeup people to arrive. Alice had run out to do something, and it was just the five of us.

I frowned for a second and then decided to hell with it.

"No. I want a drink, Esme. Just one. I slept like crap. I love Alice, but she's going to be bossy and make me want to kill her today. So please, let's start it with something special, not coffee like today is any other day. Okay?"

"Of course."

"Sure. I'm sorry."

"I'll pour you one now."

"It's going to be a great day, Bells."

In typical Esme fashion, the mimosa she made me was predominantly champagne, but it was delicious. Exactly what I needed. So was she, to be honest. Without my mother there, I was glad that Edward's mother had been with me every step of the way. From finding my dress to that morning, getting ready for the wedding, she'd been a part of it. Hell, if you wanted to get technical, she'd precipitated our getting together in the first place. If it hadn't been for her meddling, Edward and Garrett would have never placed the ad.

She caught me watching her and came over to join me on the couch. I could hear Rose, Jess and Angela laughing in the bedroom, and Alice was still out doing whatever it was she had rushed out to take care of.

"Are you okay, sweetie? Is there anything I can do?" Esme smiled down at me with a look that all mothers seemed to perfect. It was the one that said she was really worried about me, but she was trying to hide exactly how worried she was.

I tried to smile to reassure her. "No, I'm okay. I'm just glad you're here."

"Have you spoken to your mother?"

"Not really. We, ah, told her about the engagement, but she didn't seem to care. I just decided I wanted this to be a happy time, not all about her."

"She doesn't know you're getting married today?"

I looked over at her sheepishly. "I didn't tell her."

"Oh, Bella. I'm so sorry." She put her hand over mine, and we sat quietly for a few minutes. "Have you changed your mind, do you want to call her?"

"No," I sighed. "My dad is going to call her tomorrow. Anyway, I wasn't thinking about her. I was just thinking about how glad I am that you're here. That you've been a part of everything."

"Oh, honey, I wouldn't have missed it. I'm so glad that Edward has finally found his one. You don't ever have to worry about not having a mom around when you need her. You might even get sick of me."

I chuckled, thinking of all Edward's warnings that his family would smother me. "I don't see that happening. I mean, yeah, at first how close your family was freaked me out, but now I'm honored to be a part of it. I still think you're all crazy, but I'm glad you've taken me in."

She smiled sweetly and patted my hand. "Of course we've taken you in! You've made Edward so happy, and that's all I've ever wanted. Well, that and grandbabies, but you'll get to that soon enough, I'm sure."

I giggled a little at how relentless she was. We'd stumbled into this after Esme pushed Edward for marriage and children, and here we were, on my wedding day, and she was already -gently- pushing for grandchildren.

Before I could come up with something to say, the girls came into the room, nudging each other and laughing. They pulled up short when they saw Esme and I on the couch, and their faces became serious.

"Everything okay?"

The door to the suite opened as Angela spoke, and Alice walked in.

"What is going on?" she snapped, her hand on her hip. "What have you done to upset my bride?"

"I'm not upset!" I laughed, trying to calm Alice down.

"She's fine." Esme patted my hand again and stood, picking up our champagne glasses and heading for the wet bar. I prepared for the verbal beat down that Alice would unleash, thinking it was going to be a really long day.

"Did you make mimosas?" Alice huffed, and her eyes darted around the room.

It was one of those moments where time seemed to stand still.

"You made drinks without me? Mom, that is so uncool."

Rose, Jess, and Angela stood frozen, looks of confusion and disbelief on their faces. It was like a sitcom, and I couldn't hold back the laughter that bubbled up in my chest. Once I started, everyone else joined me except Alice, who looked at us like we were crazy.

"Oh my God!" I laughed so hard that my side started to hurt. "That was not the reaction I was expecting!"

She rolled her eyes and waved off our laughter. "Do we have enough for another round? I feel cheated!"

By the time Esme had the second round of drinks poured, Alice's friends Kebi and Amun arrived to do our hair and makeup. They got started right away, working together to get each of us ready. Room service brought a light lunch, and then it was time for pictures. The photographer was sweet, but Alice was like a drill sergeant. She had a list of photos she 'required' and had no problem ordering us into different groups to get the exact pictures she wanted.

After what felt like a couple hundred pictures in the suite, we headed to a room near the beach to wait for the ceremony.

"Bella," Kebi touched my shoulder to get my attention. "Let me do a final touch up, and you should be ready to go."

"Oh my God, is it time?"

"Just a few minutes." She smiled and led me to a table where she'd set up her makeup kit. She checked the pins holding my hair into a twisted updo and brushed powder over my face. "Now, everything is waterproof, so you don't have to worry about crying. I'm not saying you can full-on sob, but don't worry if you get teared up."

My bridesmaids and Esme stood to the side, glancing in a mirror and checking their faces as well. When Carlisle and my father stepped into the room, I knew it was time.

With a final round of hugs and squeezes, everyone made their way out to the hallway leaving me alone with my father. I'd been on autopilot most of the day, but suddenly my stomach was filled with butterflies.

What I was feeling wasn't nerves. I was excited, anxious to get through the ceremony. Edward and I had begun with an unconventional courtship, but I'd felt since the very beginning that we were headed for this point. At first, I didn't want to believe that Edward returned my feelings, but just a couple of days into our first trip to the Hamptons, I knew. Despite going into it as a ruse and only knowing each other for a short period of time, we'd both fallen hard.

"Ready, Bells?"

I nodded and smiled.

"You sure? Cuz I can still flash my badge and get us back to Washington if you want to blow this joint."

"I'm sure, Daddy. Thank you for doing this for me."

"Bella," he started, then paused and I saw him swallow hard, "I know I wasn't always there for you, but I love you. I wouldn't have missed today for the world. I can't apologize to you enough for the way your mother has behaved. I don't know where her head is but, someday she's going to regret missing out on today, and so many other important days in your life."

He took a deep breath and kissed my forehead. "Sorry. Had to get that off my chest."

"Feel better?"

He snorted, and his mustache twitched. "Yeah."

I grinned at him and took a step back, reaching for my bouquet. He opened the door, and we moved into the hallway where I could hear the sounds of our processional.

"You look beautiful, B," he whispered as I slipped my hand under his elbow.

"Thanks," I looked up at him, biting my lip. The music changed, and it was our turn to step out into the sunshine to move down the aisle. I held him off for a second and looked up into his eyes. "You know this doesn't change anything, right? I'll always be your little girl."

He laughed and smirked down at me as we took our first step.

"Bella, I'm not sure what you know about marriage, but this changes everything."

He may have continued to talk, but I didn't hear another word. My eyes had found Edward at the end of the aisle, and everything else dropped away.

I felt a pull towards him and began to move. Part of me wanted to run, but I instinctively knew I should let Charlie set the pace. Somehow I managed to put one foot in front of the other without falling in the sand. With each step, I was closer to my goal. The wind blew around us, and the sound of the waves was the only music in my ears. Edward was the only thing I saw. The sun glinting off his hair. The lean lines of his body. The light blue of his tie that I knew matched both the bridesmaid dresses and the water behind him. But more than anything, I saw the joy in his eyes, and the smile he couldn't contain.

The closer I got, the wider the smile stretched across my face. Suddenly, Charlie stopped a few steps away from Edward. The sudden stop startled me almost as much as the minister's voice.

"Who gives this woman to this man?"

Oh, right. The giving away bit.

"I do," Charlie said firmly.

He squeezed my hand before placing it in Edward's palm.

"You look gorgeous," he whispered.

"So do you." He did. He looked mouthwateringly gorgeous. His unruly hair was in more of a style than usual, though I could tell he'd already run his hands through it. He looked like he should be on a runway at fashion week, or in a print ad for some expensive cologne or designer watch.

The minister began talking again, but I'd tuned out. Angela appeared at my side and took my bouquet, then I faced Edward and he held both of my hands.

Holy shit. This was just like _A Wedding Story_ on _Lifetime_. I'd seen this episode, or wait, maybe not this one. Definitely a beach wedding episode, but Edward looked better than the random groom with the run of the mill engagement story, or even a sappy one that you just knew they embellished for television.

Edward raised an eyebrow, and a small giggle escaped my lips. His eyes closed and he smiled, shaking his head, just enough for me to know he was laughing at me on the inside.

I tried to focus on the minister's words, I honestly did. But I was distracted by the tiniest of details. The delicate starfish on Edward's boutonniere. The sound of the wind flapping against the fabric draped over the altar. The sand between my toes since I'd decided the night before that shoes were pointless until we got to the reception. I smiled a little, thinking how no one knew I was barefoot, well, no one outside of the bridal party - not including Alice, and no one was telling her.

The minister's voice buzzed in my ear. I was sure he was saying important things, telling vague anecdotes since he didn't actually know either of us, and reading from Genesis and the Song of Solomon, but I couldn't focus on any one thing for more than a second or two.

From the corner of my eye, I could see our guests seated in a semicircle facing the altar. Over Edward's shoulder, the four stooges stood tall. They looked classy in their tan suits with darker brown ties. Definitely a good choice to go with tan. The sun was warm on my shoulders, and I knew they would have been roasting in classic black tuxedos. Garrett leaned towards Emmett murmuring something in his ear, and they both grinned. Cheeky bastards. Who knew what they were joking about.

Jasper and Riley seemed to be staring beyond me. I was sure Jazz was probably watching Alice, remembering their own ceremony or something equally sentimental. The dreamy look on Riley's face made me happy too. I struggled to get my head around the idea of him eyeing Jessica romantically or even sexually, but from what I'd heard they'd hooked up after the rehearsal. She knew his story, and she was all about having the clichéd hook-up with her groomsman. Who was I to argue with his fucked up marriage? Maybe a roll in the hay with Jess would convince him to finally get divorced. Anything was possible.

Edward squeezed my hands and began to recite after the minister. My eyes got wide, realizing we were at the commitment part of everything. Not that everything else hadn't been leading up to the 'I do's,' but in my eyes the 'repeat after me' and 'with this ring' parts were what sealed the deal.

Edward's voice was confident as he said the traditional vows. We had talked about writing our own, but we agreed that the standard vows said everything that we wanted. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish.

By the time Edward finished speaking, my eyes had filled with tears, but I couldn't pull my hand away from his to wipe my face. I physically couldn't do it. I nodded at the minister when he asked if I was okay, and then it was my turn. My voice wasn't nearly as clear as Edward's, and I stuttered several times as a sob caught in my throat, but I managed.

As I finished, Edward's lips moved in time with mine. "Until death do us part."

It filled my heart with an emotion I could hardly describe. It was a profound joy, mixed with the terror of imagining my life again, without Edward.

I blinked a few times and finally wiped my eyes, trying to stop my tears as the minister asked Garrett for our rings. He held the rings in his palm and said a blessing over them before giving Edward my wedding band.

He took my left hand in his and began sliding the ring up my finger as he said the words, "With this ring I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment."

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding when the ring slipped fully onto my finger. I stared at the ring on my hand for a moment, awed by its simplicity compared to how much it meant. My heart started pounding because I knew that we were almost finished. I just had put Edward's ring on him without losing it in the sand and say one more sentence, and it would be done. I bit my lip and took the ring from the minister, beginning to push it onto Edward's finger.

I opened my mouth to speak, but was suddenly surprised when the ring stopped at Edward's knuckle. I looked at the minister in a panic, but he just smiled sweetly back at me. He'd probably seen this before. I took a quick breath and pushed again, with a little jostling, the ring popped over Edward's knobby knuckle. I sighed and said the words, hoping no one else had noticed.

"With this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment."

I grinned at Edward, and he chuckled at me, reaching up to cup my cheek.

"Edward and Isabella, in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in matrimony, have promised your love for each other by these vows, the giving of these rings and the joining of your hands, I now declare you to be husband and wife. You may now seal the promises you have made with a kiss."

Neither of us hesitated. We both grinned like fools as our heads gravitated towards each other until our lips were touching. Edward's tongue slid along the seam of my lips, and I opened my mouth to him. Apparently, we were going for it. My hands went around his neck and directly into his hair. He continued cupping my cheek, and his other hand slid from my hip to the bare skin between my shoulders. I shuddered and smiled against his mouth. I probably would have let him strip me down and have his way with me there if our groomsmen hadn't started cat calling.

Edward pulled away with a chuckle, resting his forehead on mine. We stared into each others eyes, grinning and sharing one last moment in our little bubble at the altar until the minister made his last announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen!"

We turned towards the guests, and I was amazed to finally see how many people were there for us. I'd walked through them on Charlie's elbow, but I'd been so blinded by Edward at the end of the aisle that I'd missed everything.

As we made our way up through the rows, I saw Maggie's giant boobs and her ridiculous hat. One of the Denali twins sat behind her, with her equally gigantic boobs and orange skin that made her look like an Oompa Loompa. She had to have been someone's plus one because neither of the sisters had been invited. On the other side, I spotted Randall and a couple of Edward's fraternity brother's I'd seen in pictures. I waved at a few of our friends from Seattle who had made the trip.

Before I knew it, we were climbing the steps to the anteroom where I'd waited earlier in the day. This time, the room was full of our entire wedding party, all talking and laughing loudly as Carlisle opened a bottle of champagne. Alice rushed over and gave me a hug, then promptly began fluffing my dress and muttering about Edward sucking off my lipstick.

Carlisle and Emmett poured a round of drinks, and we all took a few minutes to relax before we had to get more pictures taken. I fixed my lipstick and Alice repinned a couple of pieces of hair that had fallen down. When she returned me to Edward, he kept his arm around me, his hand between my shoulders just as it had been when we kissed. It was as if touching me through my dress wasn't close enough. I loved it. I knew we had hours of the reception still to get through, but more than anything I wanted to run away with Edward. To start our life together. To be Mr. and Mrs. Cullen.

I sighed, probably louder than I'd meant to, and Edward smiled down at me with a wink.

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

Pictures were tedious, but I knew they would turn out to be gorgeous. We used the ocean and our altar as the backdrop for most of them, though a few shots were taken of the wedding party standing up on the deck as well.

I was exhausted by the time we made it into the reception. I'd told Edward about my lack of sleep and the mimosas that started my day. He'd just laughed and told me Jasper and Emmett had kept him up most of the night smoking cigars, watching porn and drinking Carlisle's scotch. I'd stared at him in shock, wondering if I knew my brothers-in-law at all. For just a moment, I couldn't imagine them keeping Edward up like that the night before his wedding. Then reality seeped back in, and I realized it was totally something they would do. Assholes. I was so making them do shots later.

Edward seemed to get fidgety after we found our way to the head table.

"You okay?" I asked, putting my hand on his bouncing knee.

"What? Yeah."

There was something worrying him, and it started to make me anxious as well. Did they have something embarrassing planned that I was going to hate? Like having all of the old men in attendance bring me keys as if they were returning keys to my apartment?

"Edward."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm just nervous about Garrett's toast."

"Oh. Oh!"

Shit. What was he going to say? Leave it to Edward to choose the loose cannon as his best man. Then again, the only safe choice would have been Jasper and nothing about Edward and my relationship had been safe. There was no time to work myself up over it though because the DJ began to tap his mic to get the crowd's attention.

After a quick introduction, Garrett stood and accepted the mic. He glanced down at Edward and me with a devious smile and a wink.

"Edward and Bella," he said with a laugh. "What can I tell you about the happy couple? Where do I even start?"

"At the beginning!" Emmett hollered.

"Yes. That's a good idea, smart ass," Garrett chuckled, lifting his glass. "So, this one night, Edward and I got kind of drunk after he and Esme got in a fight about him not giving her an heir—oh, wait, wrong story! But seriously, my girlfriend Angela and I were the masterminds between these two meeting. I don't think we ever anticipated the connection that they would feel, or how immediately they would be drawn to each other." He smiled and paused, and I had to laugh. He was telling the truth, without telling the whole story.

"Did you know that Edward accidentally called Bella his future wife on their first date? Total Freudian slip. He was afraid he'd scared the hell out of her, but somehow she went on a second date with him anyway, then a third and so forth.

"I knew early on that Edward had fallen for Bella, but it wasn't until the first time that I saw the two of them together that I knew we'd all be sitting here together someday. They were so in tune with each other, from the very beginning. But in the end, it doesn't matter how they met or that Edward proposed without a ring like an idiot. All that matters is that they found each other. I'm glad to have been a part of their fairytale and I know, like all of you, I'm looking forward to seeing the great things that the future holds for them."

He smiled down at us and I mouthed "thank you" as I wiped my eyes. He'd said it all so well. Even the jab about the engagement ring. None of it mattered.

Garrett raised his glass and the crowed did the same. "To Edward and Bella!"

Everyone toasted, glasses clinking and voices happy. Angela stood and straightened her skirt. She looked beautiful, the soft blue of the dress was gorgeous against her darker complexion. She cleared her throat and chuckled into the microphone.

"Thanks, babe, I'm not sure how to follow that."

The whole group laughed, then quieted when she continued to speak. "Bella has always been like a sister to me. We've been through some stuff together, right?"

She glanced down at me and we shared a smile. Stuff was putting it mildly, and outside of school she generally swore like a trucker. Then her smile turned wistful, and I knew she was going to make me cry.

"When we were twelve, Bella and I made a list of what we wanted in a husband. I remember we wanted the same things, well mostly. I wanted a guy with an English accent who rode a motorcycle, but that was because we spent that summer watching Grease 2 over and over. Sorry, Gare.

"Anyway, he had to be a college graduate and have a good job, preferably one that he couldn't go do in a flannel shirt. He had to be funny. He had to speak a foreign language. He needed a car, and he couldn't live in his mother's basement. But more an anything he had to make our stomachs flip and our hearts flutter, and he had to be BFF approved. Now, I was worried about the foreign language bit, but I've heard Edward swear in Spanish, so it's all good."

Everyone laughed again, and Ang reached down and grabbed my hand.

"But here's the thing, while Edward ticks off all of the boxes on our list, he does so much more. Let's face it, he's not bad to look at, and makes her smile like I've never seen. He always puts Bella first, except for when he's trying to save lives, and he is 100%, primetime in love with her."

I snorted at her Top Gun quote as she lifted up her glass. "To the happy couple!"

The guests all raised their wine glasses and toasted again as I stood to hug her.

"Love you, Ang."

"You too, babe. You too."

We gave each other a good squeeze, and I was passed off to Garrett, who quickly blew a raspberry on my neck, earning a high five from Emmett. Edward cuffed Garrett on the back of the head as someone started to tap their spoon on a water glass.

The noise got louder and louder as more guests joined in. Edward shrugged and pulled me into his arms for a kiss. We started to separate, and they did it again.

"I could do this all night." Edward laughed and leaned back in for another kiss.

Dinner was being served as we turned to take our seats. My ass no more than grazed the cushion on the chair when the clanging started again.

"You may get your wish," I teased as I turned towards Edward, puckering up and waggling my brows.

He cupped my cheek and grinned. "Silly girl, I already did."

-x-o-x-_Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-_

**A/N: **

I can't believe they're finally married! These kids *sigh* they've been so fun to write. :)

Thanks so much for reading. I'm still just blown away by the response to this story and these silly characters. You all are the greatest! Give me two weeks to stir up an epilogue!

If you like that kind of thing - there are a bunch of links on my profile for this chapter, including a link to my Pinterest board for planning/visualizing this wedding. :)

**Reading Recs This Week - **

**Polaroid** by **RockRaven244** (wip 16ch)  
>Summary: A glimpse, a snapshot, a frame, an image...this is how they come. Some a blur, some crystal clear; like a Polaroid. She told me not to interfere, to live life, and love my family. And I do...most of the time.<p>

**The Spaces Between Notes** by **LyricalKris** (complete - Bella/Carlisle)  
>Summary: She was over twenty years his junior and had him pegged before she ever knew him. He definitely wasn't the sex-crazed rocker her father warned her about. Music speaks to many, but really knowing a person is listening to the space between notes.<p> 


	31. Positivity

**Accidentally in Love**  
><strong>Ch 31: Positivity<strong>

**A/N:** Thank you so much for reading and for taking this crazy ride with me. I haven't been the best about replying to reviews recently, but I read and appreciate every one. Thank you for taking the time to leave me your words. Sorry for the delay on this update/epilogue, whatever the hell it's turned out to be. RL was like a roller coaster the past few weeks. Plus, I've had a hard time even thinking about saying goodbye to these kids, which made this almost impossible to write. (I will admit to powering through the entire Cut & Run series during my procrastination/writer's block and now I am in luuuuuvv with Ty and Zane. UNF)

Huge thanks to **SydneyGen, Greenabsinthia, and Seastarr08** whose lives are just as crazy as mine, yet they find time to look over this stuff for me.

A little more to say at the bottom... See you there.

-x-o-x-Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-  
>December - 18 months After BellaEdward's Wedding

EPOV

Garrett burst through the door to the doctor's lounge as I blew on a spoonful of hot oatmeal.

In my early meetings about coming to Harborview with Dr. Snow, he'd asked me if I had any classmates I'd recommend for joining his team. I'd suggested Garrett in a heartbeat, and that was that. The group at Harborview was larger than our previous department at U-Dub Medical, but we managed to work the same shifts a couple of times a week, at least. A year and a half later, we were still the lowest on the totem pole, being given the worst shifts and the majority of holiday hours but we had a team of medical students at our disposal.

"There you are! I've been looking all over." He flopped into a chair across from me and took a sip of my coffee. "The night shift still blows. I keep thinking I'll get used to it, but nope, it doesn't happen."

I nodded and continued to eat my oatmeal, waiting for him to get to his point.

"Change of plans for New Year's eve."

"Oh, really?"

We were both working on Christmas, doubles, but in return we were off New Year's Eve and most of New Year's day. We'd scored VIP tickets to the party at EMP through one of the doctors at the hospital and were planning on taking the girls out in style. I couldn't imagine what he'd come up with to top that, or what I was going to tell Bella to do with the dress she'd already bought.

Taking a page out of my book, he ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "What are your thoughts on shotgun weddings?"

"I mainly try to avoid them," I deadpanned, wondering where the hell he was going with his question; he and Angela were planning a wedding in July.

"That's a good mantra." He pursed his lips and looked thoughtful before continuing as I grabbed my mug back from him and took a drink of coffee. "But would you stand up for me, if I needed you to?"

I choked a little on the hot liquid. I had a feeling I knew the answer, but I still had to ask. "You're getting married this summer, so why, pray tell, would that ever happen?"

"Cuz Ang's daddy is really unhappy that our wedding date is a month after the baby is due."

My stomach dropped, and I closed my eyes. "Shit."

"Right? It's not like I don't love her, or that I don't want to get married, but I didn't really want her father holding a gun as he pronounced us man and wife."

"Does he know?"

"Told him last night," he sighed. "So we're thinking a small thing, just our parents and you and Bella, then we can go out like we planned."

"Okay, if that's what you want." I nodded, struggling to come up with the right words for him.

"I'm so mixed up, Ed. I feel like such an ass, like I've let down both Angela and her parents, but I'm so fuckin' excited to start a family, too. I just don't even know what to think."

"I can't even imagine, but you know I'll be there for you. Anything you need. And Bella, we'll help however we can."

Angela and Bella were probably having a similar conversation, although knowing the two of them there had been a lot of sobbing and even more Ben and Jerry's consumed over the course of their talk. Fuck. I was still trying at accept what he'd told me. Garrett and Ang were having a baby. Though I knew it was, it just didn't seem possible. Bella and I were the first to get married, we should have been the first to get pregnant or the girls should have gotten pregnant at the same time, but—holy shit—it wasn't supposed to happen like this.

I tried to calm my racing thoughts and focus on reality. "How's Ang taking it?"

"Being pregnant or telling her dad?" Garrett laughed. What else could he do at that point?

"Either."

"Surprisingly well. She's always wanted to have a big family. We were just thinking we'd wait a year or so to get started. She was so strong last night when we talked to her parents. I was freaking out, and she just put it out there. 'We're pregnant and we're in love. We're moving up the wedding date and we still want you to marry us.' I thought her dad was going to have a fucking heart attack. Both of her parents cried, man. It was rough, but Ang just kept her cool and held my hand."

"What about your folks?"

Garrett came from a long line of artists and hippies. His mother was a painter. She dabbled in something Garrett called mixed media, but to me it just looked like she cut things out of magazines and glued them to frames along with whatever else she could find. His father was the black sheep. While he played bass in a local band in Tacoma, he was also one of the best neurosurgeons in the state. He probably wouldn't be thrilled with Garrett's news, but I had a feeling his mother would be ecstatic. Marriage didn't mean a whole lot to her, but a baby would mean everything.

He snorted. "My mom is picking out names and dedicating her latest mural to her gene pool. Dad was a little pissed at my "lack of responsibility," but then he said something about two pigs tangoing or being in a blanket. I'm pretty sure he was drunk. Some dude in mom's little art enclave started making moonshine."

"Your family is bizarre, dude."

"Now you know why I appreciate yours."

A resident poked his head into the door with a stack of charts in his arms. "Dr. Cullen? CT is ready for that guy who fell off the ladder. And the bloodwork is back for that guy who got attacked by the dog. His wife just got here, she's really pregnant and freaking out. I wasn't sure what you wanted me to take care of first."

I enjoyed working in a teaching hospital, but sometimes I wondered if these new kids had any common sense at all. I looked across at Garrett, who was trying not to crack up, before sighing and turning back to my resident.

"I suggest you start with the freaking out woman."

"Oh, yeah. Good plan."

He darted out of the room, and I stood, pushing my chair back. "So, you're going to be a father, and you're getting married in two weeks?"

"That's the new plan."

"Alright then." I chuckled and knocked my knuckles on the table before heading back to work. I paused at the door and grinned, looking over at my shoulder at him.

"Hey, Gare, congratulations. This is a good thing."

He laughed and shook his head. "It is. Thanks, man."

-x-o-x-Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-

Despite the fact it was six in the morning when I finally made it home after my shift, I went straight for the fridge and grabbed a beer. I cracked it open and took a long pull, still standing in the dark, quiet kitchen. After talking with Garrett in the lounge, I'd spent the remainder of my shift on my feet dealing with trauma patients. It had kept me occupied, mentally and physically, but it left me exhausted. I bent my neck to each side, stretching and yawning, before I made my way to flop down on the couch. No matter what I tried to think about, my mind continued to find its way back to Garrett and Angela's news.

"Hey," Bella's scratchy morning voice surprised me. It was a Sunday, and she typically wouldn't have been up until after eight, but she stood at the end of the hallway looking sleepy and adorable.

I reached a hand out for her. "Hi. Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

She shook her head and shuffled towards me in her fluffy slippers. She crawled into my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck before she snuggled in. I rubbed her back and took a few deep breaths, letting her scent and warmth soothe me.

After a few minutes, she cleared her throat and spoke, "Did you talk to Garrett?"

"Yeah." I brought my hand up and combed through her hair. "Did you know or did Ang tell you last night?"

She sighed against my neck. "I told her to buy a test last week because she was so damn moody, but I didn't know for sure until she came over for dinner."

"What do you think? I'm still kind of blown away."

"That's a good way to describe it. I joked with her about it, but I can't believe she's actually pregnant."

"I know what you mean."

We were both quiet, and I reached over to the side table for my beer. I took a drink but didn't set the bottle back down, running my thumb over the label.

"What are you thinking?" she whispered.

I took a deep breath, exhaling with a huff. "I wish it was us, thank God it's not, and maybe we should start trying. None of which make a lot of sense."

She chuckled and turned her head, nuzzling her nose against my shoulder. "God, we're a pair. I felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest when she told me, but it was mostly because I was thinking, 'Holy shit, it could be us.' I mean, we've been married a year and a half. We said we'd take some time for us, and it's been amazing, but every time your mother calls I know she's secretly hoping I'll tell her I'm pregnant."

"Shit." I scrubbed my hand over my face. "My mother is the root of all evil."

Bella laughed out loud, covering her mouth with her hand as she tried to stifle it. She shook her head and smiled. "So dramatic this morning, doc."

"Sorry, it's just, can we do this on our timeline, not hers?"

"I think that's just it, babe. I'm on the same timeline."

I put my beer down and sat up straighter, running a hand down her hair, over her shoulder. "What are you saying?"

She hesitated, biting her lip, and I tightened my fingers on her shoulder in encouragement. Her eyes closed for a second before reopening and meeting mine.

"I'm ready. I want to start trying, or at least quit trying not to get pregnant."

I could hardly believe my ears. It shouldn't be so crazy, she and I were so in tune it was ridiculous, but I wanted so badly for it to be true.

"Do you mean it? Not just because of my over-involved family?"

"Edward," she sighed, putting her hands on my cheeks and leaning her forehead against mine, "I want this. I'm ready. I can't wait to have gorgeous copper-haired babies with you."

"It probably won't happen right away," I said quietly, running my hands down her arms to slip around her waist. With my medical background, I knew better than to assume it would happen overnight. I didn't want either of us to get ahead of ourselves.

"I know that, but it'll never happen if I stay on the pill. What about you, are you ready?"

"Yes, absolutely. Are we fully ready? Probably not, no one ever is. But do I want this with you? God, yes, and I hope they look like you, not me."

Her thumbs caressed my cheeks as she smiled at me and her eyes filled with tears. I leaned in and kissed her, then she settled her head on my shoulder with a sigh. We stayed like that for a bit, pretzeled together and soaking each other in.

After a few minutes, she sat up and blinked a couple of times, running her hand over her face. "I know we haven't talked about going back to New York in a while, but I need you to know I'm ready when you are. We can stay here for a while, have a baby and be our own little family. Or we can go back and be part of the larger Cullen tribe."

"Bella-" She put her finger over my lips and silenced me.

"My home is with you, and it doesn't matter to me where we live. The only thing I need is you."

I swallowed hard and clutched her to me, hard. "I love you, so much. Here, New York, Jamaica, wherever. It doesn't matter as long as we're together." We both chuckled at my reference to our honeymoon in Negril. "Let's play it by ear, okay?"

"Okay."

I shifted off the couch, and we both stood. It was still early, and we could both do with some sleep.

Reaching for her hand, I started walking back towards the bedroom. "Come on, let me take you back to bed for a little while before you have to get up."

-x-o-x-Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-  
>September - 2 Years, 3 Months After BellaEdward's wedding

"Dude, you might think you're ready for it..." Garrett laughed, tipping back a beer. He shook his head and continued, "But then your wife is screaming about how everything is your fault, and you're never fucking her again. Finally, when you think shit can't get worse, a giant slimy head starts pushing out of her vagina like an alien... I swear to God I don't know how I'm going to go down on her again without seeing that shit. It's like burned on my retinas."

"Jesus, stop already. It's not like you hadn't seen it before when we did a labor and delivery rotation."

"Oh yeah?" He pointed his beer bottle at me and gave me a stern look. "We'll have this conversation again when something the size of a watermelon rockets out of Bella's hoo ha."

I shook my head and tried not to laugh. He was such a drama queen. With all of the changes in our lives over the past couple of years, at least I could always count on that.

Garrett and Angela's son Abe was three months old, and he and I were grabbing a drink after work while the girls went to the spa. Angela's parents were down for the weekend, so Ang and Garrett were taking advantage of the reprieve from the demands of being new parents.

It was kind of funny. In med school, the responsible adult lives we were living had seemed unattainable, but the tables had certainly turned. I couldn't imagine going back to the way we were, with nothing but studying, working and the vague possibility of a family to keep us going.

"Speaking of that shit, is my girl pregnant yet?"

I sipped my beer and watched the scores on the ESPN ticker. "My wife is in no way your girl."

"Well, if you can't do the job," he trailed off, teasing as he scrolled through something on his phone.

"Fuck you. We're working on it." We had this conversation at least twice a week.

"Yeah? You need some pointers?"

I hadn't truly understood when, shortly after our wedding, Bella started to complain that if one more person asked her when we were having a baby, she was going to go postal. But close to two years later? I was on board. No one had the right to ask about our sex life or fertility. My mother asked because she just didn't care about shit like that, she wanted grand babies. Garrett just asked because he knew it pissed me off.

In truth, Bella and I had taken a casual approach to getting pregnant. We'd stopped using birth control and just made a basic effort to have sex more often. Which was sometimes hard to do thanks to my schedule at the hospital, but we made it work.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." I stood and put a twenty on the bar, sliding my empty beer on top of it. "You're a pain in the ass."

"See, that's what I'm talking about. If you think this has anything to do with asses..."

I raised a hand in thanks to the bartender and turned for the door, flipping Garrett off over my shoulder. "Peace out, jackass."

I had just reached the door when I heard him call out to me.

"Hey, wait. Edward, come back."

I turned, raising an eyebrow, expecting him to yell something obnoxious over the late afternoon crowd in the bar.

"No, seriously. Come here." He held his phone up and pointed at it. "I think this is for you."

I still halfway expected it to be showing me a Wikipedia page that outlined the best sex positions for impregnating someone or something equally ridiculous, but as I got closer I saw the purple peace sign that had changed my life. Craigslist.

"What, you trolling the personal ads again?"

"Shut up. Sometimes Ang and I leave each other messages."

I knew they did. It was kind of sweet. I'd thought about leaving Bella a message there as well, but I'd admitted to her early on in our relationship that the only thing I'd successfully found on the site was her. So she knew I would never find a message if she posted it there. It turned out though, that my girl was way smarter than I ever gave her credit for, because even though she knew I'd never think to look there, she knew it would find me anyway.

"I think this one is for you though. Check it."

I grabbed his phone and read the ad on the screen.

_Dear Maybe-Baby-Daddy,_

_If you're reading this, your wingman has done his job._

_Before I met you, I didn't dream about fairy tales or happily ever after. But then I met you, and everything changed. Now that we're together, I want it all. I've taken your name, and we've made your home ours._

_Our forever is on the horizon, there's only one thing missing... Someday soon I hope we'll stand near the ocean and watch copper haired babies playing the sand._

_I don't want us to get ahead of ourselves, but I'm late. I haven't taken a test. I thought I'd wait for you. Meet me at home, and we'll find out together._

_I love you,_

_Your-Maybe-Hopefully-Baby-Mama_

I read it again, my heart pounding. I was beyond excited, but terrified the ad was meant for someone else. My eyes darted from the screen to Garrett's face and back again, unsure what to think or where to look.

"You okay?" He grabbed my arm and guided me towards a barstool.

"I just...How did you find this?"

He chuckled and grabbed his phone from me, tapping the screen before holding it out again. "Ang likes to leave me messages here in the missed connections section since we are on such different schedules."

I read the subject line and threw my head back laughing.

Looking for: **Transplanted New Yorker with Superhero Mother**

It was certainly for me. I loved how close Bella had grown to my mother, even if she thought Esme was a vodka fueled Wonder Woman.

"I've got to go, Gare." I stood again, feeling panicked, as if Bella might not wait for me to take the test.

"For sure!" He laughed. "Go! And keep me posted."

"Yeah!" I called, already making my way to the door. "I'll call you."

I thought I heard him yell 'congrats' as I went into the parking lot, but I didn't want to think about it, afraid to jinx anything. I knew well enough that even if the test was positive, there were a million things that could go wrong.

I climbed into my car and texted Bella that I was on my way. I fastened my seatbelt and closed my eyes for a second, taking a deep breath to clear my head. I exhaled and started the car, heading for home, forcing myself to obey the speed limit and not rush to Bella's side.

My fingers shook as I tried to get my key in the lock on our front door. When I finally made it inside, I found Bella in the living room, sipping a bottle of Gatorade—lemon-lime, the only kind she liked.

"You found my message!"

"Well, Garrett did," I laughed, dropping my keys in the bowl by the door, "but I think that's how you planned it."

She nodded, biting her lip and fidgeting with the bottle in her hands.

I sat down next to her and leaned over to give her a long, slow kiss. When we pulled apart, I grinned at her and raised an eyebrow. "So, you're late?"

"Over a week." Her breath came out in a rush as she nodded again.

How the hell had I missed that? Her cycle was usually very regular, like clockwork.

She twisted around, reaching over the arm of the couch to put her drink on the side table. When she turned back to face me, her fingers went to the front of my shirt, gently touching the buttons and straightening the placket.

I slid my hands down her arms until both of her hands were in mine, our fingers tangled together. "Did you get a test?"

"Yeah. I bought a couple."

I couldn't blame her. I'd been tempted to stop and buy one myself in case we felt the need for her to take more than one, but I'd resisted.

"Are you ready, or do you need more to drink?" I angled my head at her Gatorade, smiling at the idea that she'd been hanging out, waiting for me and preparing to take a pregnancy test.

She licked her lips and smiled hesitantly. "I think I'm ready. I mean, I don't think I'll ever actually be ready, but, you know."

She shrugged and stood up, keeping hold of my hand.

"Okay."

I let her pull me down the hall to the master suite but hesitated when we got into the bedroom, unsure if I should follow her into the bathroom. We were pretty open about using the toilet in front of each other, but it seemed different. I wasn't sure what the protocol was for peeing on a stick. I wondered if I'd totally fucked up by not asking her to come to the hospital for a blood test and by-passing all of this urinary nonsense.

"I'll be right back. You'll start timing the three minutes when I tell you to?"

My head snapped up at the sound of her voice, and I realized that she needed me in the present, not drifting off thinking about implantation and hCG levels.

"Yeah, of course." I squeezed her hand in reassurance and watched her walk away, my heart twisting in my chest. What if we had gotten all worked up for nothing? How the hell did people do this month after month?

"Okay," she called just before I heard the water running in the bathroom, and I quickly looked down at my watch to start timing the test. I looked up to see Bella in front of the sink, washing her hands. She smiled at me and giggled a little. "I pee'd all over my hand."

"You didn't use a cup?" I chuckled, moving across the room before leaning against the door frame to the bathroom. "You know, in case we need to do it again?"

"No, I did. But I still managed to get it all over myself. I don't know. I'm not used to having to aim like you are."

She moved closer and I wrapped my arms around her. We stood together for a few seconds, not talking until she let out a huff.

"This is taking forever."

I laughed and rubbed her shoulders, keeping an eye on my watch.

"Thirty more seconds."

Bella nodded against my chest, and I felt her fingers slipping out of my belt-loops.

"Hey." Our time was up, but I felt like I had to say something before she checked the results. She stepped back, but I held onto her, lifting my hand to cup her cheek and bring her eyes up to mine. "Either way, I love you. If it's...not..." I swallowed a lump in my throat and continued. "We'll keep trying. Okay? No worries."

Her eyes were wide and full of tears. I watched her lip tremble before she lifted her hands and wiped her face. She sighed and gave me a watery smile.

"Okay, I need to know."

She turned and made her way to the sink, lifting the tester in a shaking hand. Her head was bent and her hair blanketed her face, hiding her reaction. Her breath hitched, and I had no idea what it meant. Was crying a good sign or a bad sign?

"Bella?" I felt almost desperate.

She looked up and met my eyes, nodding her head. That was all I needed.

I launched myself across the small space to pull her into my arms again, dropping to the floor in front of her. Everything I'd been holding back, putting aside in case it was a false alarm, went out the window. I didn't even pretend not to cry.

She slid down so she sat in my lap and took my face in her hands. She smiled at me, but her face was wet and blotchy from crying. "These are good tears, right?"

"Oh Jesus, Bella, yes." I reached up and covered her hands with mine. "The happiest. Don't ever doubt that."

"Okay, cuz you freaked me out with the whole 'it's okay if we're not' bit."

"No." I shook my head and pressed kisses all over her face. Her eyes. Her cheeks. Her forehead, and finally, her lips. "That was just in case, you know? Your period can be late for a lot of reasons. I didn't want you to be too disappointed if we weren't."

She smirked at me, the corner of her mouth lifting adorably. "But we are."

"We are."

My eyes slipped down to her belly, and I couldn't look away. I slid my hand between us and rested my palm on her stomach. Bella reached forward and covered my hand with hers.

After a few seconds, she put her arms around my neck and held me tight before whispering, "We're having a baby." She bounced a little in my lap, giggling before her voice got louder. "We're having a baby! We're. Having. A. Baby!"

I couldn't stop smiling and pulled her in for a kiss. I wouldn't have thought that I could love her more, but I did. Knowing she was carrying my child...I couldn't describe how it made me feel. And if just knowing she was pregnant made me feel so much, I couldn't even imagine how I would feel when the baby arrived.

She threaded her fingers through my hair and moaned into my mouth. I wanted to lay her back and have my way with her, but I wasn't going to take her on the bathroom floor. I lifted her off my lap and stood, reaching down to pull her up.

My phone started to ring as we made our way to the bedroom.

I groaned as LL Cool J sang 'Mama said knock you out!'

Bella started to laugh, hard, like bent over with laughter as tears ran down her face.

"I'm not answering," I huffed.

Bella continued to laugh. "Your mother is psychic!"

"My mother is psychotic," I growled as the phone rang again from my pocket.

"You love her."

Turning the ringer off, I pulled Bella close again with a sigh. "She's my mother, of course I love her. I just don't like her practically having her nose in your vagina."

"Ew. Okay. I don't like that either, but I love Esme. We don't have to tell anyone now though, do we?"

I didn't want to ruin our night with cautious doctor talk, but we'd be smart not to tell anyone until she got through the first trimester. More than that, I wanted to keep our news within our Seattle family. Clearly, Angela and Garrett would want to know what the test said, but I wanted to keep it at that. There would be plenty of time for everyone else to swoop in and hover over Bella or take over baby duty.

If you'd have asked me on that first night, when I'd decided to meet Bella, I would have never guessed how things would pan out—that I would fall head over heels in love with her and start a family. But I was. We were. All of that and more.

Looking back, I couldn't say at what point in faking it I'd fallen in love with her. It was probably somewhere around the first time our hands touched or when she smiled at me when I approached the table. It didn't matter. None of it did. I was crazy in love with her, and I was so glad that no one had found out our secret, that we had such an important piece of our history that didn't belong to anyone else.

Except Garrett and Angela. It was funny how things came full circle.

"No, baby. I think we should keep it to ourselves for a little bit."

She giggled and reached up on her toes to give me a quick kiss. "Good. Let's see how long that works with your family."

"Right? One can only hope." I hugged her tight and sighed. "I love you, Bella, so, so much."

Bella stretched up and gave me a smacking kiss. "I love you too, doc."

I laughed as I gave her a little squeeze and turned to kiss the side of her head. I was a lucky son of a bitch, that was for sure. Accidentally finding Bella had been like winning the lottery. Better. There was no where I would rather be, and no one I would rather share my future with.

-x-o-x-Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-

**A/N:**

Don't kill me - but you see what I mean? Chapter? Epilogue? I don't know what to call that. LOL I feel like I need to give you a future take to answer a few more questions. So I will. I just know I can't promise it will be up in 2 weeks, but it won't be more than 3 or I'll never do it. :)

Thanks again for reading! See you soon! (The line for Garrett forms behind SydneyGen and Greenabsinthia, they're fighting over him!)

**What I've been reading:**

**Dirty South Drug Wars by Hoodfabulous** (wip 22 ch)  
>Summary: Bella and Edward meet at age twelve after the death of Bella's father, a death blamed on the Cullen family. Their families are sworn enemies, fighting for territory over their rival drug trafficking businesses. Bella and Edward meet again at age eighteen and their attraction to one another is undeniable. Will their forbidden love destroy them both? A Dirty South Fanfic. AHOOC

**Terrior by thimbles** (wip 10ch)  
>Summary: Isabella Swan uproots her life on a whim, moving halfway around the world in search of something more. Perhaps she will find what she's looking for in the neatly laid rows of Cullen Family Wines' Hunter Valley vineyard. Sometimes, it is the grafted vine that produces the more vigorous growth.<p> 


	32. Epilogue

**Accidentally in Love  
><strong>**Chapter 32: Epilogue****  
><strong>

**A/N:** So... This happened between updates. **Seastarr08** sent me this Gawker post from 5/16/13: Dude is Going to Show You a Good Time At His Friend's Wedding! "If you're a fun girl of drinking age who lives in the D.C. area, why not go to a stranger's wedding with a guy off Craigslist? He seems "all right," what with his picture of him riding a lion that is riding a horse, and his degree and good career. He actually kind of sounds like a "catch," plus this wedding is Open Bar."  
>How crazy is that?! I checked back for an update today - now news. Sorry. LOL<br>Also - If you've read my SVM fic Halo Effect, that fact that once again life has imitated my fic is completely freaky! LOL

Bigger note at the bottom, but let's suffice to say this is the hardest it's ever been for me to close out a fic. I'm really going to miss these kids, but I've also been struggling to get their story on the page, so it's time to say goodbye. It's hard to believe how long I've been telling this story - not to mention long you all have been along for the ride! Thank you - so, so much for reading, reviewing, rec'ing and just being all around amazing bunch of readers.

As always - thanks to **SydneyGen**, **Greenabsinthia**, and **Seastarr08**. They are the nothing short of amazing as friends and betas.

-x-o-x-Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-

I'd always been a planner. Even as a child, I liked to set goals and work for them. To know what was going to happen next and to be able to count on it. Maybe it was because I had two fly by the seat of their pants parents who rarely planned for anything. Or maybe it was because I mostly grew up with my dad, who could organize his schedule around that of the Mariners but forgot things like Halloween.

At any rate, I'd never been spontaneous person, at least not before meeting Edward Cullen. However, in the five years we'd been married, I had learned a serious lesson about planning. You could plan and prepare for anything, but ultimately life was in the hands of fate—and sometimes fate had remarkably different plans.

-x-o-x-Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-

"Edward, there's someone at the door!"

"Coming!" he called, loud enough for me and whoever was on the front steps to hear.

Emmett laughed from the doorway to the living room. He must have followed Edward from the dining room. "Milking this pregnancy for all it's worth, eh, Princess Bella?"

"Hey, you've never been pregnant. You have no idea what kind of chaos this wreaks on my body."

Emmett rolled his eyes, and I heard Edward's raised voice in the entryway. "What are you talking about? Slow down!"

"Is he here? Just let me in!"

Maggie stormed into the living room, clearly worked up about something. Edward stepped into the doorway and raised his hands as if to say he didn't know what was going on. She huffed and stood in front of me with her hand on her hip.

"Is he here? Do you know what he did?"

"I don't know what he did," I sighed, "but Riley's in the dining room playing cards with Jasper."

"Dude," Emmett laughed, "throw him under the bus, why don't you?"

"Stop it, Em. Why don't you and Edward go in the other room too?"

He shook his head, but both men did as I asked. I patted the couch beside me and motioned for Maggie to sit down.

Our relationship had undergone a major change since our first meeting at the beach. Riley and her mother had been on the verge of filing for divorce so he could marry Jessica when the car Char was driving was hit head on by a drunk driver. She was killed instantly, and her estate was split pretty equally between Riley, Maggie and Randall—although Riley was given the condo in New York and expected to maintain the beach house in the Hamptons for the family. In the wake of her death, Maggie and Riley formed an interesting friendship. With her mother gone, Maggie only had Randall and her father left, and he parented via credit card, wanting nothing to do with either of his children.

Despite being close in age, Riley became the only parental figure she had who cared about her. Maggie and her brother Randall had fallen out over recent years, and she found herself leaning on Riley through her grief. She actually made a fairly miraculous transformation. In just a few months time, Edward said she'd returned to being the girl they'd known growing up—slightly superficial and airheaded but friendly and caring. She was still overly tan and had gigantic fake breasts, but at least she wasn't a heinous bitch anymore.

While Maggie accepted and even supported Riley's marriage to Jess, she struggled with the idea of seeing Jess as a mother figure. Esme had instead taken on that role, as I suppose in some ways all of us Cullen women did. I wouldn't call her my best friend or anything, but Maggie had truly become a niece to both Edward and I. We cared for her and were there for her when she needed advice or buffer between her and Riley. She came to Cullen family get togethers and, although it had originally required a couple of extra cocktails, we'd all grown to care about her. In the grand scheme of things, she'd been a spoiled brat who had never had the best role models, and no one could fault her for that.

The baby cried from her bedroom, the sound through the monitor startling us both. I groaned and scooted forward in my seat, preparing to stand.

"I've got her!" Edward jogged through the living room as the crying grew in intensity.

"Bless you!" I called after him, chuckling and rubbing my back.

He made his way back through to the dining room, bouncing Olivia gently and murmuring daddy secrets into her hair. I couldn't help but look at them. They were so adorable together.

"Is Liv the only kid here?" Maggie looked around and seemed to realize how quiet the condo was, aside from Olivia's crying. "Where's Parker? And why are all the Cullen boys here, doesn't anyone have to work?"

"I have no idea why they're all here, it's like the perfect storm of days off. They played video games all morning. The kids are all on a playdate with Esme and Roberta. Liv had a slight fever and Edward doesn't work until tonight, so we kept her at home. Rose and Alice were meeting them at the Met."

I had been spot on before Parker was even born when I told Edward his mother would get a nanny. It had been easy for Esme to watch the kids when it was just Rose and Em's three, but eventually Jasper and Alice had a baby of their own. Then Edward took a job in New York City because it was too good of an offer to pass up, and we moved back with a two year old another on the way. Carlisle finally gave into her requests, and they hired someone to help around the house for the first time since Esme's own children had been in diapers. Roberta did a little bit of everything, and she particularly loved spoiling their grandchildren.

"All of the kids? Oh shit!" Maggie laughed, knowing as well as I did that our children would be returned jacked up on all sorts of sugar and, in Parker's case, without a nap.

"Right?" I snorted. "At least we know he'll sleep good tonight, when we finally get him calmed down."

I sighed and smiled at Maggie. "Why don't you tell me what had you so worked up?"

She huffed and rolled her eyes. "He's vetoed a bunch of my wedding ideas. Again."

"Mags, I realize your mother left you all a shit ton of money, but there are limits."

"You're taking his side?"

"I'm not taking sides. I'm trying to be reasonable. The last time he vetoed your plans it was because you wanted to buy Olivia a two thousand dollar necklace from Tiffany's."

"It was her birthstone."

"I was still pregnant with her." I chuckled and shook my head. "You need to learn the value of a dollar and stop throwing it around like confetti at some point. Riley just doesn't want you to end up broke and living in his guest room."

"Whatever. Eric doesn't seem bothered with my spending," she shrugged, referring to her insanely wealthy fiance. They'd met at a charity auction, and he swept her off her feet. He was a total nerd, there was no other way to describe him, but he didn't seem to care that Maggie had no idea what he was talking about when he discussed business. What mattered to him was that she both needed and allowed him to take care of her. It didn't hurt that she was completely smitten with him. Like, giggly school-girl smitten. It was pretty sweet when it wasn't annoying.

"You're not spending his money. Yet." I patted her leg and chuckled. "Just keep calm and try not to jump all over Riley. Jess isn't here, so I think he may have pissed her off today, too."

"Fine. But I'm not happy about it. I just wanted edible gold leafing on the cake. Is that so much to ask?"

I raised an eyebrow, but she didn't elaborate. "I'm pretty sure he was more upset about the birds."

"The doves are beautiful."

"Not coming out of your cake and shitting on people in your reception." I shuddered just thinking about the germs those fucking birds could carry.

My bones ached, low, between my legs. The feeling of my pelvis shifting and spreading had gotten earlier with each pregnancy. I brought my hand up to rub my belly since I couldn't actually touch the part of me that hurt.

She glanced down to my stomach and gave me a soft smile. "Do you have names?"

My eyes jumped to hers in surprise and then I looked away, hoping she hadn't seen my panic. She couldn't know. I hadn't even told Edward. There had been too many people at the condo when I got home from lunch with Rose and my doctor's appointment. I'd had a regular checkup with my OBGYN, and when she listened to the baby's heartbeat there'd been a faint echo.

A second heartbeat.

I grinned just thinking about it despite how terrified I was. Twins. Edward and his damn super-sperm had kept me pregnant for most of the previous three years. After Parker, my pregnancy with Olivia had been planned, but not the next one. Not that soon, at least.

I'd gone in for a follow-up appointment after Liv was born to get back on birth control because Edward and I had decided we wanted to wait another year before trying again and - surprise! My doctor gave me a cursory exam and made me take a pregnancy test as standard procedure. I got dressed and waited for her to give me a prescription to fill on the way home. The doctor had a strange look on her face when she came back into the exam room. It was like she couldn't decide if she wanted to laugh or cry. I hadn't expected either of those reactions so, nervously, I rang my hands and bit my lip.

Pregnant. Without even trying. I swore then and there Edward was getting snipped. Maybe even before I had the baby. I was excited, terrified, horny and nauseous all at the same time. It was going to be a long pregnancy.

"Bella, names?" Maggie's teasing laugh brought me back to reality.

"Sorry, pregnant brain. You'll understand one day." I laughed and shook my head. "Anyway, Park and Olivia are named after our grandparents, so we've got the other grandparents left—Elizabeth, Marie, Anthony and Thomas. We both vetoed Eustice and Oscar."

"Oh my God, those are bad. People used to have such awful names. I love Marie, and Anthony is great. It's Edward's middle name too, right?"

I nodded, thinking about how we would need two names this time. Two names that sounded good together when you yelled them one after another but weren't too similar to confuse people.

"Are you finding out what you're having?"

"Yeah, next month. I can't imagine doing this and not knowing who you'll be bringing home from the hospital."

Riley came in from the dining room and took a seat across from us. "Hey, Mags."

"Dad." She'd taken to calling him that when she was upset with him. Mostly, it freaked him out.

"Whatever. You're angry about the birds?"

She pursed her lips. "Yes."

"Maggie." I gave her a look trying to tell her to tone it down. Ultimately he could pull the plug on this whole wedding that she insisted the bride's family pay for.

"Fine. Yes, I'm upset that you won't let me have the doves. Or the gold leafing. I want it to be perfect!"

"Mag, what you're planning seems more like a circus than a wedding."

I watched Maggie tense up as if she was a volcano about to blow, and I kind of wanted to slap Riley myself. Sometimes he didn't get women.

"Are you saying I have bad taste?"

"What?" His eyes flew to mine for help, then back to his emotional step-daughter. "No. Not at all. What I'm saying is that I think you need someone to help you. Alice planned Edward and Bella's wedding, and it was much smaller and more laid back. I'm saying I'll pay for a wedding planner."

I nodded in approval as she squealed and threw her arms around him. I knew his issues weren't entirely about the money; it was more about not letting her embarrass herself or her new husband with the clusterfuck she seemed to be organizing.

The doorbell rang several times as they finished up their hug. It was most likely one of the kids being silly since all of Edward's family had keys to our place. A second later, I heard the front door open and the familiar sound of the Cullen children echoed in our foyer. Esme, Alice and Rose herded them into the living room; Bree and Katie both came in with their headphones on and looked bored with life, Peter stumbled in behind them, dragging his backpack crammed full of his most prized treasures, Alice and Jasper's son, Jeb, pulled on the bag and nearly knocked his cousin over, while Parker rode on Rose's back, his little arms wound tightly around her neck.

The guys came in from the dining room and Emmett's voice boomed. "Did everyone have fun with Grammy?"

They all answered at once, some excitedly and some, the twins mainly, whiney, but all quite animated.

Rose put her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly, quieting everyone down. "It was a great day. Now, kids go upstairs. Adults, go in the kitchen. Auntie Rose needs a beverage."

Despite a couple of protests, everyone did as Rose asked. Her control over the chaos was actually quite impressive. Esme was the first in the kitchen, heading straight for the vodka. When the first round of drinks was poured, including my club soda with lime, we gathered around the table to relax and catch up. Edward handed Liv to me and made her a bottle. Peter ran in and out of the room a couple of times, whispering and giggling in Emmett's ear each time.

During one of his son's uncoordinated dashes back towards the stairs, Emmett laughed and looked at Esme. "Jesus, Ma, how much sugar did you give him?"

She pursed her lips and gave him an annoyed look. "He only had a little bit."

"Yeah," he snorted, "and you only put a little vodka in that drink."

Edward reached forward and cuffed his brother on the back of the head.

"Thank you, Edward," Esme laughed. "We went to the Temple of Dendur as well as the Arms and Armor Court. They were very well behaved."

"Mostly," Alice laughed.

"Hush. They deserved a treat afterwards. We went out for milkshake."

Emmett gasped. "You took them to Lexington Candy Shop? That's so not fair!"

"Son, I always took you there after the museum, too. You've had more than your share from that soda fountain over the years."

"But you took Alice!" he huffed. Big tough Emmett was a marshmallow at his core. I didn't envy Rose being married to him. It was like being married to Jim Carrey, on steroids.

"Should I hit him again?" Edward joked, his hand poised behind his brother's head.

"No, don't," Rose chuckled, "I'm afraid he already has brain damage."

"You're afraid? I'm sure of it!" Riley laughed and high fived Jasper.

"And on that note," I sighed, "I'm taking this sleeping baby upstairs. She and I both need a nap."

Olivia and I were given a quick round of hugs and kisses before I went upstairs to put her in her crib. I left Edward in charge of seeing everyone out, trusting him to serve himself and Park dinner. I stripped down to underwear and one of Edward's t-shirts and climbed in bed.

I woke later to a gentle kiss, and opened my eyes to see Edward grinning back at me.

"Hey," I mumbled, stretching and rubbing sleep from my eyes. He was dressed for work, but I had no idea how long I'd been asleep. "What time is it?"

"It's 8 o'clock." He kissed my forehead and sat back, still smiling. "I need to head to work in a bit. I didn't think you'd want me to let you sleep too long."

"No, you're totally right. I feel like I could sleep until morning, but I'd probably be up in the middle of the night spending your money on As-Seen-On-TV products."

"And we don't want that!" He tried to look serious but couldn't hide his laugh. With a sigh, he stretched out beside me on the bed. "I changed Olivia and gave her another bottle. Parker is watching Cars again."

"Yeah?"

I'd fallen asleep thinking of ways to tell him about my doctor's appointment, but I hadn't come up with anything. I didn't want to blurt it out, but I didn't have the energy to plan some elaborate reveal either.

Luckily, as was typical in our relationship, Edward played into my hand and gave me the perfect opportunity. He scooted down my body and pushed my shirt up so he could rub my belly and talk to the baby.

"Hello, Number Three." He pressed a light kiss to my belly that made me shiver. "How was your doctor's appointment today? Did you cooperate so mommy could hear your heartbeat again?"

He tilted his head and put his ear to my skin as if he was trying to listen. His eyes were full of joy, and his teasing smile was adorable. I was so in love with him it was ridiculous.

My eyes welled with tears even as I returned his smile. "You're not being very nice, ignoring Number Four."

His brow furrowed in confusion as my heart pounded in anticipation and excitement. I licked my lips and swallowed the emotion clogging my throat.

"You kissed Number Three and said hello, but you haven't said a word to Four."

He pushed up on one elbow, partially sitting up. His other hand rested on my side, and his thumb rubbed a gentle circle on my skin as his eyes darted between my stomach and my face.

"What are you saying?" his voice was a whisper, full of hope and uncertainty.

I wiped a tear of my cheek and smiled. "When we listened to the heartbeat today, there was an echo. A second heartbeat. We're having twins."

The doctor had insisted on a quick ultrasound after hearing the second heartbeat and gave me a couple of pictures showing the two babies. I pulled the thin strip of paper out from under the pillow and held it out towards a shocky looking Edward.

His eyes were huge. "You're serious."

I bit my lip and nodded. I knew he would be happy, but just like me, he needed a second to get his head around it. Wrapping his arms around my torso, he dropped his head to my stomach, peppering me with kisses as he whispered words I couldn't make out. Then he crawled up my body, cradling my head in his hands.

"I love you so much, Bella. I don't... My heart is so full right now." He wiped a couple of tears away before shaking his head and laughing. "I can't believe you kept that to yourself all day!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Did you want me to come share it with the Cullen Boys Club?"

"No, definitely not. This was better. Perfect. I just can't believe you kept it in!"

"I was a little freaked out. I didn't expect it. The doctor said it explains a lot though."

He nodded. "Yeah, it explains why you're measuring big, why you've been so sick and why you're so tired. You're growing two babies in there."

He slid his hand down my side before running his fingertips over my stomach and squeezing my hip. He took a deep breath, and I watched his eyes grow dark as he exhaled. Just one look from him and my whole body began to heat up.

"Are you turned on, Dr. Cullen? I thought I was the one who was horny for most of our pregnancies."

His hand slipped between my legs, cupping my sex. His eyes darted all over, from my face to my belly, down to where he touched me and back.

"Jesus, Bella. There are two of my babies in there. Mine."

"Ours."

He groaned and pulled my underwear down my legs before tossing them over his shoulder. Then his shirt was off and he was sliding his scrub pants down. Before I could get my shirt over my head, he was back on the bed beside me. He helped pull it off my arms and tossed it on the floor with everything else. Our eyes met, and his mouth was on mine, hot and insistent. When he pulled back, he dragged his lips along my jaw and whispered in my ear.

"I don't know what to do with you, baby. I really want to fuck you, hard, make you crazy, but I want to cradle you like glass too, be careful with our children. Cherish you."

His words were like throwing gas on a flame. My hands fisted in his hair, and I pulled his mouth back to mine. "You can't say things like that and not follow through. We don't have much time before you have to go." I slid my hands down to his ass, pulling him tight against me. "Fuck me now, cherish me later."

With a groan, he did just that.

-x-o-x-Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-

"You doing great, Bella. One baby down, one to go." My doctor's voice drifted up from beneath the drape covering my spread legs before she stood and patted my leg even though I couldn't feel it. "Nurse Joan is going to go update your family. Sound good?"

"You remember what we talked about, right?"

Joan and I had become close friends in just a few hours. I'd been dilated to six when she came on shift so after she called the anesthesiologist for my epidural, Edward and I explained that we had kept the twins a secret. We'd told Rosalie because since she had twins of her own she would know what we actually needed. The extra car seat, crib, high chair and other things were hidden in our attic, ready to be pulled down and set up when the babies arrived.

"Of course, Bella. I'm going to tell them about the baby and then tell them I'll be back when the second is born - then walk away before they can ask questions."

"Perfect," Edward laughed, and I wasn't sure if he was referring to our plan or Number Three. He was standing across the room with another nurse while she weighed and cleaned the baby.

The monitors started beeping, signaling another contraction, and the doctor's disembodied voice came again, "Get ready to push, Bella."

During the next contraction I thought I heard some sort of commotion or excitement down the hall, but then the baby was crowning and I forgot about our crazy relatives. With just a few pushes, Number Four arrived. The delivery room was controlled chaos as the nurses tagged and took care of both babies while the doctor finished my aftercare. Edward drifted between the nurses and my bed, keeping an eye on of all of us.

Eventually, both babies were snuggled on my chest while Edward sat beside us. He had a look of absolute awe on his face as he leaned forward to kiss my forehead.

"They're perfect, Bella."

"We make good babies," I sighed, running a hand over the soft auburn hair on Number Three's head. There was a tag that read "Baby A" for the time being, but these kids would be stuck with the nicknames of Three and Four if Edward and I had anything to say about it.

We took some time to ourselves, each holding and feeding a baby, enjoying the tight cocoon around our family for a few minutes. Edward left a voicemail for Garrett giving him the surprising news that we had twins. Garrett and Ang were still in Seattle and had two adorable little girls and Abe, who was Garrett's mini-me.

While I could have stayed in our little bubble for hours, I was also exhausted, and we still had some introductions to do.

"So, what do you think, are you ready to see everyone?" He stroked along Four's cheek with the back of his hand, completely absorbed in our children.

"They're going to be pissed!" I laughed. "But I don't care. Yeah, why don't you bring them in."

That time I did hear the noise from the waiting room. Cheers and laughter rang out as they made their way down the hall and I was thankful that it was mid-morning and they weren't disturbing anyone's sleep.

The kids were either in school or with Roberta because we weren't sure how long the delivery would take, so it was only the adult Cullen crowd. My father and Sue were making flight arrangements and were expected in the next day or two. The crowd quieted down as they came in the room and saw me with the babies.

"Oh my God, Bella!" Esme laughed through her tears. "How could you do this to me? I could have done such amazing things with their nursery!"

I knew she was teasing, so I just smiled and went along. "As if you aren't going to re-do it now that they're here?"

"This is true!" She leaned down and kissed my hair. "Seriously, this is an amazing surprise! Congratulations."

"Edward, you dog!" Emmett called. "I knew you were a stud!"

"Quiet, Em!" I worried that his booming voice would wake the babies, but they only wiggled and squeaked a little before settling back down.

"Sorry!" He laughed as Rose shushed him as well.

Carlisle clapped a hand on Edward's shoulder, but Edward pulled him into a hug. He was overflowing with happiness, smiling and laughing, hugging everyone in his family even though I was pretty sure he had hugged them all in the waiting room. They all said their hellos and congratulations before Esme couldn't hold back and asked to hold one of the babies.

"So," Alice rubbed her hands together, "what are their names? The suspense is killing me!"

Edward looked down at me and I gave him a grin and a nod.

"We wanted to stick with family names, but we also really wanted two boys names that fit well. So, Bella is holding Carlisle Anthony, wrapped in the blue stripes and born at 10:06 a.m. this morning. And, mom, you're holding Charles Thomas in the solid blue, born seven minutes later."

"Oh, Edward," Esme gasped, her eyes filling with tears. Honestly though, as I looked around, there wasn't a dry eye in the place.

The babies were passed around and doted over for a little while, and I allowed my sisters-in-law to diaper and feed them. I knew that having two babies was going to be a challenge so I would take all of the help I could get.

Eventually, Edward ended up sitting next to the bed with both babies in his arms. Esme stood over his shoulder, her camera clicking away, capturing his adoring face.

"Who'd have thought we'd have gone from Craigslist to four kids?" he said quietly, teasing me as he gazed down and little Carlisle began to squawk.

"What did you say, sweetie?" Esme reached down and ran a hand over Carlisle's head to quiet him. "What did you get on Craigslist?"

"No, Mama, that's not what he said," Alice laughed from her perch on the end of the bed. "What was that coffee shop you liked, Bella?"

"Um, Solstice?"

"Right. He said Solstice, that's where they met."

"Sentimental fool," Emmett laughed as other members of Edward's family made quiet murmurs of how romantic we were from around the room.

I watched Edward as he tried not to laugh.

Alice was totally right, the coffee shop by my old apartment I loved was called Cafe Solstice, but that wasn't what Edward had said. I knew it, and he knew it, but it didn't matter anymore. After everything we'd been through, Garrett and Angela remained the only other people to know the truth. Our story, with its crazy beginning and ridiculously romantic course, had led us to this amazing moment. Edward and I had certainly learned the value of taking risks and following our hearts.

And with our two newest additions, our family was complete.

-x-o-x-Accidentally in Love-x-o-x-

*sob* And there you have it... I'll just be sobbing in the corner after I hit complete.

I truly cannot thank everyone enough for the support they've shown this goofy fic. From** MC, Cared** and the** FicSix** at **RobAttack Blog**, **EvilNat** and the girls at **TehLemonadeStand**, **Nic** and everyone in her FB group and everyone else in between - you've all been amazing. Thank you for everything.

To everyone who's shown some love to the fics I've rec'd - thank you for that as well. You've thrilled (and sometimes scared the hell out of) a lot of authors!

**Hollbeth**, thank you for letting me rant and vent and fangirl through email. **Barburella**, bless you for helping answer questions about my own damn fic! LMAO - I'm so glad to have become friends with both of you!

**SydneyGen, Greenabsinthia, and Seastarr08**-There are no words. Seriously. You girls are the A,B,C's to my X,Y,Z's and the Long in my Duck Dong. Thank you for putting up with my neurotic ass while fixing my commas and translating my nonsense. I owe you drinks. Lots and lots of drinks. Love you!

OOOH If you care - Links from this chapter are on my profile!  
>Gawker Post - Dude is Going to Show You a Good Time At His Friend's Wedding!<br>New York Metropolitan Museum of Art - Kids Q&A  
>Lexington Candy Shop<br>Cafe Solstice

**So... what's up next for me?**  
>TFMU in Chicago! That's what! LOL<p>

I'm super excited to be headed to the meet-up in Chicago in a few weeks. If you're there - look me up! (If you don't know about TFMU - check out twificmeetup*com)

Fic wise, I've got so many plot bunnies I don't know what to do with them! So I'll be around. I've promised Leckadams I'll finish an SVM Sookie/Eric fic I've been working on, but I've also got a couple of E/B Twifics floating around my Gdocs. Follow me as an author if you don't want to miss anything!

I know I should shut up already, but I can't resist doing this one last time in this fic -  
><strong>What I've Been Reading -<strong>

I read a blog post this week about the Lone Cypress Tree that you can see on the 17 Mile Drive along California's Monterey Peninsula through Pebble Beach. The first thing I thought of was that I took a great trip there with friends many years ago, and I took an awesome picture of the tree at sunset. The second thing I thought of was **rinabina**'s fic -** Close to the Pin**. So that's what I'm rec'ing this time. Enjoy!

**Close to the Pin** by **rinabina** (complete)  
>I love everything she writes (Foul Territory or A Getty Romance, anyone? GAH). Caddyward is swoony and I loved golfella. A little bit of reversed roles with Bella in the spotlight and Edward as the unknown.<br>**Summary:** Edward is an easy-going caddy at Pebble Beach. When he's assigned to caddy for stone-faced pro golfer Isabella Swan, his life gets flipped upside down. Will they form an unlikely team or will she fire him before the weekend is over? E/B AH AU


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